💖 Alexander Petrov

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〰 The first major Russian chess master was Alexander Petrov. A popular chess opening (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6) bears his name, as do several variations in other openings (Petrov’s Gambit, Petrov’s Attack, etc.). In Russia, Petrov was unquestionably the strongest player of his time: he won matches against other leading Russian chess players such as Jaenisch, Urusov, and Shumov. Petrov also founded the first chess club in Russia.

He was the author of a fundamental chess manual published in 1824, which, following the fashion of the time, had a long and elegant title:
The Game of Chess, Arranged in Systematic Order with the Addition of Philidor’s Games and Annotations Thereon.

After Pushkin’s death, two copies of this book were found in his library — one of them inscribed by Petrov himself. Evidently, before receiving it as gift, Pushkin had bought the other copy on his own.

Petrov also played Russian draughts very well and wrote a guide to that game as well. The Petrov Triangle is a well-known draughts tactic — a method of trapping an opponent’s king using three of one’s own. In 1851, Petrov was invited to participate in the first international chess tournament in London, but unfortunately, he was unable to attend.

In the first half of the 19th century, the era of professional chess players had not yet arrived, and Petrov’s main occupation was government service. From 1840 onward, he lived in Warsaw, where he worked under the Governor-General of the Kingdom of Poland, Ivan Paskevich. Petrov eventually reached the civilian rank of Actual Privy Councillor, which, under the Russian Table of Ranks, corresponded to that of a general in the army.〰

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A very well-known chess problem composed by Petrov goes as follows:

Task: White to move and checkmate in 14 moves.
Solution: 1. Nd2++ Ka2 2. Nc3+ Ka3 3. Ndb1+ Kb4 4. Na2+ Kb5 5. Nbc3(a3)+ Ka6 6. Nb4+ (Qa8×) Ka7 7. Nb5+ Kb8 8. Na6+ Kc8 9. Na7+ Kd7 10. Nb8+ Ke7 11. Nc8+ Kf8 12. Nd7+ Kg8 13. Ne7+ Kh8 14. Kg2(g3)×

〰 This composition symbolized Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow to Paris.

On the diagram, the lower left corner represents Moscow, and the upper right represents Paris. The black king stands for Napoleon, while the white king is Tsar Alexander. The white knights represent the Russian cavalry, driving Napoleon out of Moscow. On the sixth move, the white queen (standing for Chichagov? Kutuzov?) could have checkmated Napoleon but misses the chance. Napoleon crosses the Berezina River (symbolized by the diagonal h1–a8) and continues to flee. But when he finally reaches Paris, the Russian Tsar enters the battle and, with a subtle move to g2, delivers checkmate to Napoleon!♟

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🇷🇺 Multi-Russia: Krasnoyarsk Krai

This series of short cartoons is brought to you by the Russian Geographical Society. Each clip introduces one of Russia’s 89 regions.
Today’s issue is about Krasnoyarsk Krai in Siberia. Its immense territory of almost 2.5K sq km is rich in natural landmarks and mineral resources.

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🇷🇺🌏 Atlas Island. Northern Kurils

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💖 The Fermor Children: Scottish Roots and Russian Portraits

Part 1: The Fermors: From Scottish Kings to Russian Generals

In the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, you can find two charming children's portraits by the accomplished 18th-century Russian artist Ivan Vishnyakov. The portraits are of Sarah Eleanor and Wilhelm Georg, the children of a prominent Russian military leader and statesman of Scottish origin, William Fermor.

Fermor's career spanned the reigns from Anna Ioannovna to Catherine the Great. He first made his mark with distinguished service in the Russo-Turkish War. Later, during the Russo-Swedish conflict, he commanded troops to several successes, most notably the assault and capture of Wilmanstrand. This victory brought him the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.

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📌 Fermor's military career culminated during the Seven Years' War. His appointment as commander-in-chief of the Russian army in 1758 led to a historic achievement: for the first time ever, Russian forces occupied Königsberg and East Prussia. His performance in the arduous Battle of Zorndorf was recognized with the bestowal of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, the preeminent honor of the Russian Empire —an honor fittingly linked to his homeland, as St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.

Fermor's marriage to Dorothea Bruce united two prominent Scottish families in Russian service. She was the niece of James Bruce, a famous associate of Peter the Great who was held in the highest esteem by the Tsar. The Bruce name itself carried immense historical weight, hearkening back to the 14th-century kings of Scotland. The most famous of them, Robert the Bruce, secured his place in history in 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn. There, during the First War of Scottish Independence, he defied the odds through brilliant tactics to win a decisive victory over the English—a moment forever cherished in the Scottish national consciousness.

Between 1746 and 1758, Fermor was in charge of the "Chancellery for Construction" (Kantselyariya ot stroeniy), the institution responsible for both the construction and decorative arts of St. Petersburg's buildings. The Chancellery's chief artist, Ivan Vishnyakov, was the natural choice when Count Fermor decided to commission portraits of his children.

Pictured above: Portrait of William Fermor by the Russian artist Alexei Antropov, 1765.

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🇷🇺 Another fascinating view from Russia with ❤️. It’s in the very heart of Altai (in the south of Siberia)
This gorgeous photo was taken and kindly provided by a local resident for our channel.
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