19.06.2005 Anatoly Karpov, a famous chess player and ex-world champion, visited the hematological departments of the RCCH and the Donors-for-Kids group on June 19.

Last year, we also wrote about young chess-players from the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital. Children with extremely grave blood diseases (leukemia, aplastic anemia) have become keenly interested in chess. This interest helps them fight the disease, believe in their strength, make the long months of treatment more meaningful.
The miraculous news was heard at the Department of General Hematology last week: Analoly Karpov will visit us! The famous chess-player decided to support the children and to perform a simultaneous chess play.
On Sunday, June 19, the hall of the department was decorated with colored balloons. Photographs of tournaments and chess classes were hanging on the walls.
Dima Rogachev, Vanya Kalnoi, Vladik Fagurel, Sasha Ryzhkov, Maxim Kuznetsov, Volodya Aksenov, Beslan Saaev, and Andrei Osipov took their places at the chessboards. Their fans - mothers with photo cameras and little kids - formed a crowd in the hall.
Of course, it is still too early for our children to compete with the champion. But they were so happy! Vanya Kalnoi hadn't left his ward for a month after a chemotherapy course, but the doctors allowed him to leave this ward to see Anatoly Karpov; this is what his mother said. It is hard to believe in this when you see this serious ten-year-old boy. And Volodya Aksenov was even allowed to leave the Department of Marrow Transplantation for an hour: a unique story! Volodya is one of the best chess-players at the RCCH. He has had marrow transplantation, and now he has already spent five months in a sterile ward. This operation requires long recovery, and Volodya receives blood transfusions every day. Chess helps Volodya remain courageous and energetic. The pieces, wiped with alcohol for disinfection, and the chessbooks, heated in a special oven, are always with him. Volodya even participated in the spring chess tournament, telling his moves by cellular phone. The doctors know his interest in chess, and so they have allowed him to see Karpov.
Volodya's friends, also keenly interested in chess, are Igor Obolenski and Boris Kravchenko. They have already been discharged from hospital, also after marrow transplantation operations. Both had spent several years at the hospital and sat for hours at the chessboard in the hall of their department. And now Boris plays chess at a chess club in his native town, Rostov-on-Don. Soon both Boris and Igor will receive a precious present by mail: a book with Karpov's autograph.
Vladimir I. Krayushkin, director of the Karpov chess school, promised that his school would take care of the little chess players and arrange more extensive studies for patients of these departments.
Konstantin Yu. Kurchenkov, head of a charity foundation, brought a miraculous present for the kids: a chess computer! He was very attentive to everybody, including mothers and volunteers. The children were delighted! For several hours, they did not leave the hall and studied the new toy.
Another present was given by Murad Amannazarov from a chess publishing house. A whole library of chessbooks. And color books about chess for the smallest kids. The stack of color books disappeared in an instant: everybody wanted to have one.
After the game, Anatoly Karpov signed his books for the participants and said a few kind words to everybody. Then a photograph was taken, and it was time for Karpov to leave.
The 12th world champion in chess gave an important lesson to all of us. A lesson of concern and love. The ill children and their parents should not stay alone face to face with the terrible disease. Each of us can help: donate blood, teach them some interesting game, arrange some festive event. The children's happy eyes will be the best reward.
If you want to help the little patients of the RCCH, please read more information on our page www.donors.ru.
Yulia Dubitskaya