From Student to Pro: Making the Knight's Move

© Maxim Kovalevich

HSE University has hosted the Career Gambit student festival organised by the HSE Chess Club. The festival offered a unique platform for dialogue between students and prospective employers. Participants not only enthusiastically developed their game strategies but also engaged in discussions about careers and real employment opportunities. It turned out that playing chess is not just an intellectual competition but also an opportunity to connect, network, discuss professional interests, and explore future collaboration from a fresh perspective.

The chess festival brought together more than 100 participants, most of whom took part in a tournament where 16 employer teams competed against an equal number of student teams.

Over the course of seven rounds, teams competed fiercely for the main trophy, which was ultimately claimed by the Wildberries & Russ team—Daniil Ivanov, Eldar Valitov, and Pavel Salman. The runner-up was the Rostelecom team—representing a company whose chess club, with over 1,500 members, was one of the largest among the industry participants in the tournament. Bronze went to the team of HSE University staff members.

The festival offered an opportunity not only for experienced chess players to compete, but also for newcomers to explore the world of chess—even those who had never sat at a board before. For these newcomers, Pavel Zaitsev—a senior coach at the HSE Chess Club, former member of the teams representing HSE University and the Russian State University for the Humanities, and current doctoral student at the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences—led a master class and shared fascinating insights into the game and its basic rules.

Those who did not take part in the main tournament but wanted to try their hand at chess had the chance to compete in a simultaneous exhibition game with Nikita Buts—a FIDE Chess Master, Executive Director at Sberbank, and Founder & CTO of the GreenTech startup ECOBOT.

All festival participants agreed it was an exciting experience that brought together like-minded individuals from diverse fields for a shared, engaging activity—while also giving students another valuable opportunity to explore and plan their career paths.

Salambek Dombaev

© Maxim Kovalevich

'As an amateur chess player and enthusiast, I am pleased to see chess gaining a stronger presence in HSE University’s intellectual landscape,' said Vice Rector Salambek Dombaev, who participated as a member of the university staff team. 'This time, the organisers succeeded in bringing together a fascinating mix of students, university staff, and industry colleagues. The tournament was a success. Although I personally lost all my games, I gained a boost of motivation to keep improving my skills. I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling this way. I would like to express my gratitude to our student chess association for their excellent organisation of the event and for creating such a welcoming atmosphere. At this Career Gambit festival, I spoke with HSE students and was impressed by the level of networking. It was not just a chess tournament but a blend of gameplay and career conversations. Students gained valuable insights from professionals and learned about internships and opportunities with potential employers.'

Olga Gaevskaya

© Maxim Kovalevich

'We are always exploring new ways to engage prospective employers with our students to facilitate effective communication,' explains Olga Gaevskaya, Head of the Office for Alumni Relations and Career Development. 'At formal meetings, it is not always possible to address some of the questions that concern students. So, when the HSE Chess Club suggested organising a chess tournament between companies and HSE undergraduates, we knew it was exactly what we needed!'

The chess tournament brought together 16 industry partners of HSE University—top experts in their respective fields. Despite the intense competition at the chessboard, students had the chance to connect with potential future employers and engage in games that resembled collaborative problem-solving with colleagues.

Pavel Salman, Computer Vision Team Lead at Wildberries Quality Control and captain of the winning chess team, said it was valuable for him to return to the board after a long break and connect with interesting people. 'The event was perfectly organised—it was a real pleasure to play,' he said. 'I didn’t expect so many teams; it turned out to be quite large. I wish you continued growth and success in developing your truly amazing chess community. We look forward to participating in future tournaments. This was our Wildberries team’s second intercorporate chess competition, and we are proud to have achieved such success while competing against strong teams! We gained a slight lead in the early rounds, but it became increasingly difficult to maintain our advantage. By the final round, we had nearly been overtaken by what felt like seven teams close on our heels. I see this as a clear sign that many deserving and equally strong teams took part—and perhaps we were just a bit lucky in the end.'

Alexey Demyanenko, Director of Products and Tariffs at Rostelecom, connected with HSE students during the festival and was impressed by their talent. 'It was more than just a tournament—it was a blend of gameplay and career-focused conversations. Students gained valuable insights from industry professionals and learned about internships and opportunities offered by prospective employers. We have a comprehensive internship programme at Rostelecom, but unfortunately, many students are still unaware of it. This highlights the need for us to improve how we communicate our opportunities. The Rostelecom team took second place, and for us, it was a valuable experience, giving us the chance to hone our chess skills while simultaneously sharing information about career prospects at Rostelecom. Chess isn’t just about strategy—it’s also about building your future! And we had a fantastic time engaging in it during the HSE Chess Festival,' he said.

Alexey Novikov from T2 was pleased to discover that HSE University has such a large and active chess club. 'I’d like to highlight the high level of play, and after the tournament, I had the chance to speak with students about employment opportunities at our company,' he said. 'It would be wonderful if this networking format became a tradition. I wish the chess community at HSE University continued growth and success.'

Alexander Chelekhovsky, a lecturer at HSE University and member of the university chess team, enjoys taking part in atmospheric tournaments held in the atrium. 'I’m not a big fan of online games, but I always try to participate in offline tournaments,' he says. 'I have met many students and colleagues who regularly attend these events. It’s great to see so many teams from different companies coming together. It seems to me that HSE University has been making significant strides in expanding and popularising chess. I look forward to supporting these efforts and continuing my involvement in the chess club’s activities.'