The Trainers’ Tree

It must be the competitive nature of chess that leads to so many awards being made for various niche activities. Last month we saw the 2015 CJA Awards Announcement and the USCF Awards. Now we have the FIDE Trainer Awards 2014 [fide.com], where we learn that 'The FIDE Trainers’ Commission (TRG) is pleased to announce the seventh FIDE Trainer Awards Results for 2014.'

The announcement also tells us, 'The winner of each of the six categories will receive a diploma and the following trophy, made by the famous Ukrainian artist Volodymyr Odrehivskyj'. I've copied a photo of the trophy, called The Tree of Chess, to the left.

Besides five categories of trainer -- Men, Women, Juniors, Special Achievement, and Education (more explanation needed on those last two) -- there is an Isaac Boleslavsky award for Author and a Hall of Fame award. The winners of the author award to date have been

Aagaard Jacob (DEN), 2011; Bosch Jeroen (NED), 2012; Dvoretsky Mark (RUS), 2010; Grivas Efstratios (GRE), 2009; Jussupow Artur (GER), 2008; Mikhalchishin Adrian (SLO), 2014; Sosonko Genna (NED), 2013

For 2014, the 'Rest of the Nominees (in voted order)' were: S.Palatnik (USA), V.Tukmakov (UKR), M.Krasenkow (POL), A.Kuzmin (RUS). The winners of the Hall of Fame (HOF) award have been

Boleslavsky Issac (URS), 2008; Bondarevsky Igor (URS), 2009; Borisenko Georg (URS), 2012; Botvinnik Mikhail (URS), 2008; Bykhovsky Anatoly (RUS), 2009; Chebanenko Vyachaslev (MOL), 2010; Collins Jack (USA), 2011; Dementiev Oleg (URS), 2013; Evans Larry (USA), 2014; Furman Sumeon (URS), 2009; Geller Efim (URS), 2008; Gurgenidze Bukhuti (GEO), 2008; Kapengut Albert (USA), 2013; Kart Viktor (UKR), 2008; Koblenz Aleksandr (LAT), 2010; Krnic Zdenko (SRB), 2012; Kupreichik Viktor (BLR), 2012; Lombardy William (USA), 2014; Maric Rudolf (YUG), 2013; Nikitin Aleksandr (RUS), 2008; Panchenko Alexandr (RUS), 2014; Podgaets Mikhail (UKR), 2011; Razuvaev Yuri (RUS), 2011; Samarian Sergiu (ROM), 2008; Shamkovich Leonid (USA), 2011; Simkin Yuri (UKR), 2013; Zaitsev Igor (RUS), 2010;

For 2014, the 'Rest' were: V.Zheliandinov (URS), A.Cherepkov (URS), Y.Zakharov (URS), B.Katalymov (KAZ), M.Trosman (USA). Given minimum three awards per year, we can assume the rest will receive their HOF awards in the next few years.

I was surprised to see so many Americans in the HOF list -- Collins, Evans, Kapengut, Lombardy, and Shamkovich -- not all of them known for chess training. Perhaps this is an indication that the awards are sometimes given for political reasons. This is FIDE, after all.