Kyrgyz Chess - Toguz Korgool
In Kyrgyzstan, great attention is paid to the development and dissemination of ancient sports. Specialists are searching for various games and sports customs that seemed to have faded into oblivion. Yet even in the modern world, they find their place and win hearts. The Kyrgyz national intellectual game toguz korgool is popular not only in our country but also far beyond its borders.
Today, the director of the Sports School for National and Table Sports and the president of the Toguz Korgool Federation, Kamchybek Kasymov, will talk about this amazing game and how popular it is in the world. It is worth noting that the school he leads is under the jurisdiction of the Bishkek city administration, and education there is provided free of charge. The educational institution is located in the very center of the capital, in the courtyard of a well-known shopping center at the intersection of Toktogul and Soviet streets. Here, four national sports are cultivated: kurash, toguz korgool, ordo, kulatuu, as well as one Olympic sport, table tennis.
- Kamchybek Kasymovich, why do you think interest in national sports has increased so much in recent years?
- A powerful impetus for the development of national sports was given by our president's initiative to hold the World Nomad Games at the suggestion of the leaders of four Turkic-speaking countries: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Kyrgyzstan, where representatives from 19 states participated on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. After these competitions, interest in national sports grew, especially in those included in the program. I would also like to highlight the excellent work of the federations that are conducting extensive work to develop and popularize these sports. We strive to show the whole world what types of sports were born in our country; for example, the wrestling style alysh has gained widespread recognition among the global community. Since 2000, as soon as the internet became more accessible, our programmer Kubat Kartanbaev created a computer simulator for toguz korgool, and this game spread to many countries, allowing anyone to master this ancient game. Furthermore, a year ago, Kubat Kartanbaev and Leonid Ulitsky introduced an Android version, and then the number of players increased several times; now we are working on making it possible for iPhone users to play as well.
By the way, anyone can find toguz korgool in the Play Market, and our federation has closely collaborated with the information center "Toktom," so the computer version of the game is hosted on their server. The program is small and can be downloaded in two seconds; I recommend trying it.
- But there are many similar games in the world...
- Yes, you are right. It is worth noting that there is a logical game called "kalak," which is known worldwide as "wari." There is also an African game called "bao," which is played on a similar board with balls, but it has only 32 holes. These are related games, and we want to conduct competitions among representatives of all these directions as an experiment since they are well-known and included in the program of the World Intellectual Olympics. For now, these are just plans. For the first Nomad Games, we invited athletes from Austria, Sweden, the USA, and of course, the peoples of these countries were not nomads, but they enjoy playing toguz korgool. For the next games, we will invite athletes from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Tanzania, and Switzerland. Indeed, the Kazakhs have a similar game called toguz kumalak (togyz kumalak), which has the same rules and is included in the program of the intellectual Olympic Games held annually in the Czech Republic.
- Why do representatives of other countries enjoy playing toguz korgool so much?
- Because this game helps develop logical thinking and memory. Many use it to teach children. Little ones learn math better and show perseverance. The winner of one of the intellectual projects for youth in the Czech Republic, Andzhey Tsakh, said in an interview that toguz korgool helped him develop such memory, and this was heard all over Europe. Therefore, we would very much like this subject to be introduced in Kyrgyz schools not as part of physical education (6 hours a year), but as part of mathematics, since this game can teach children a lot, for example, counting, distinguishing sides, and of course, logical thinking. Additionally, the main rule of the game is proper posture, and the first time I sat at the board, I heard words from the coach: "If you want to play toguz korgool successfully, keep your back straight." So the first task of any coach is to seat the child correctly. Moreover, earlier, we played with balls made of wild nuts, which develop tactile memory, as the tips of the fingers are involved in the game.
- They say this game has a long history...
- A fragment of a stone board of toguz korgool dating back to the 4th century BC is kept in the historical museum in Scotland. Originally, this game was intended for military training because, to manage troops correctly, it was necessary to cultivate minds from early childhood that could count and distribute. Thus, from the age of five or six, leaders who could command an army were prepared. Gradually, the game turned into a sport. As wars became less frequent, the excitement of the game remained, and people began to play for prizes. At the beginning of the last century, the old rules were still used, but then, with the development of this game in the 1960s, the rules were improved, and now the whole world plays by the new rules that spread thanks to the internet. From 1998 to 2000, we began corresponding with representatives of other logical sports. Previously, Mongolians and Uzbeks played well, and athletes from the Czech Republic show a decent level of play. This year, the Germans demonstrated a high level, managing to win two bronze medals at the World Championship. This indicates that in the virtual game center, where mainly Kyrgyz and Kazakhs play, there are now many Germans, especially children. This portal allows for online match meetings.
- And Kyrgyzstan has a very strong national team...
- We have very strong guys, but for the third World Championship, we remain without gold medals, although we have silver and bronze awards. It is very difficult to beat the Kazakh team since they hold many tournaments; for example, if we conduct 17 competitions a year, in the neighboring republic, there are more than 50 competitions, and they focus mainly on the youth. Unfortunately, we cannot afford that yet. Unfortunately, our Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic does not support us as well as it could, since the main supplier of talented players is schools. It could easily take under its wing the children's and youth teams, while the national team is successfully overseen by the State Agency for Physical Culture and Sports. Currently, we have five international-class sports masters and more than 50 active sports masters in the republic. This means that there will definitely be world champions!
PS. If we were to characterize toguz korgool in two words, it would be better to compare it: if chess is geometry, diagonals, and horizontals, then toguz korgool is pure arithmetic, where counting is essential. For example, in chess, in one second on a super-modern computer, you can check more than 50 million positions, while in toguz korgool, the computer will think for 27 minutes ahead for six moves, three years for seven moves, and will think forever for eight moves. Calculating options is very difficult. But a person has the method of exclusion and therefore always wins against the computer.
Have you ever played toguz korgool?
Today, the director of the Sports School for National and Table Sports and the president of the Toguz Korgool Federation, Kamchybek Kasymov, will talk about this amazing game and how popular it is in the world. It is worth noting that the school he leads is under the jurisdiction of the Bishkek city administration, and education there is provided free of charge. The educational institution is located in the very center of the capital, in the courtyard of a well-known shopping center at the intersection of Toktogul and Soviet streets. Here, four national sports are cultivated: kurash, toguz korgool, ordo, kulatuu, as well as one Olympic sport, table tennis.
- Kamchybek Kasymovich, why do you think interest in national sports has increased so much in recent years?
- A powerful impetus for the development of national sports was given by our president's initiative to hold the World Nomad Games at the suggestion of the leaders of four Turkic-speaking countries: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Kyrgyzstan, where representatives from 19 states participated on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. After these competitions, interest in national sports grew, especially in those included in the program. I would also like to highlight the excellent work of the federations that are conducting extensive work to develop and popularize these sports. We strive to show the whole world what types of sports were born in our country; for example, the wrestling style alysh has gained widespread recognition among the global community. Since 2000, as soon as the internet became more accessible, our programmer Kubat Kartanbaev created a computer simulator for toguz korgool, and this game spread to many countries, allowing anyone to master this ancient game. Furthermore, a year ago, Kubat Kartanbaev and Leonid Ulitsky introduced an Android version, and then the number of players increased several times; now we are working on making it possible for iPhone users to play as well.
By the way, anyone can find toguz korgool in the Play Market, and our federation has closely collaborated with the information center "Toktom," so the computer version of the game is hosted on their server. The program is small and can be downloaded in two seconds; I recommend trying it.
- But there are many similar games in the world...
- Yes, you are right. It is worth noting that there is a logical game called "kalak," which is known worldwide as "wari." There is also an African game called "bao," which is played on a similar board with balls, but it has only 32 holes. These are related games, and we want to conduct competitions among representatives of all these directions as an experiment since they are well-known and included in the program of the World Intellectual Olympics. For now, these are just plans. For the first Nomad Games, we invited athletes from Austria, Sweden, the USA, and of course, the peoples of these countries were not nomads, but they enjoy playing toguz korgool. For the next games, we will invite athletes from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Tanzania, and Switzerland. Indeed, the Kazakhs have a similar game called toguz kumalak (togyz kumalak), which has the same rules and is included in the program of the intellectual Olympic Games held annually in the Czech Republic.
- Why do representatives of other countries enjoy playing toguz korgool so much?
- Because this game helps develop logical thinking and memory. Many use it to teach children. Little ones learn math better and show perseverance. The winner of one of the intellectual projects for youth in the Czech Republic, Andzhey Tsakh, said in an interview that toguz korgool helped him develop such memory, and this was heard all over Europe. Therefore, we would very much like this subject to be introduced in Kyrgyz schools not as part of physical education (6 hours a year), but as part of mathematics, since this game can teach children a lot, for example, counting, distinguishing sides, and of course, logical thinking. Additionally, the main rule of the game is proper posture, and the first time I sat at the board, I heard words from the coach: "If you want to play toguz korgool successfully, keep your back straight." So the first task of any coach is to seat the child correctly. Moreover, earlier, we played with balls made of wild nuts, which develop tactile memory, as the tips of the fingers are involved in the game.
- They say this game has a long history...
- A fragment of a stone board of toguz korgool dating back to the 4th century BC is kept in the historical museum in Scotland. Originally, this game was intended for military training because, to manage troops correctly, it was necessary to cultivate minds from early childhood that could count and distribute. Thus, from the age of five or six, leaders who could command an army were prepared. Gradually, the game turned into a sport. As wars became less frequent, the excitement of the game remained, and people began to play for prizes. At the beginning of the last century, the old rules were still used, but then, with the development of this game in the 1960s, the rules were improved, and now the whole world plays by the new rules that spread thanks to the internet. From 1998 to 2000, we began corresponding with representatives of other logical sports. Previously, Mongolians and Uzbeks played well, and athletes from the Czech Republic show a decent level of play. This year, the Germans demonstrated a high level, managing to win two bronze medals at the World Championship. This indicates that in the virtual game center, where mainly Kyrgyz and Kazakhs play, there are now many Germans, especially children. This portal allows for online match meetings.
- And Kyrgyzstan has a very strong national team...
- We have very strong guys, but for the third World Championship, we remain without gold medals, although we have silver and bronze awards. It is very difficult to beat the Kazakh team since they hold many tournaments; for example, if we conduct 17 competitions a year, in the neighboring republic, there are more than 50 competitions, and they focus mainly on the youth. Unfortunately, we cannot afford that yet. Unfortunately, our Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic does not support us as well as it could, since the main supplier of talented players is schools. It could easily take under its wing the children's and youth teams, while the national team is successfully overseen by the State Agency for Physical Culture and Sports. Currently, we have five international-class sports masters and more than 50 active sports masters in the republic. This means that there will definitely be world champions!
PS. If we were to characterize toguz korgool in two words, it would be better to compare it: if chess is geometry, diagonals, and horizontals, then toguz korgool is pure arithmetic, where counting is essential. For example, in chess, in one second on a super-modern computer, you can check more than 50 million positions, while in toguz korgool, the computer will think for 27 minutes ahead for six moves, three years for seven moves, and will think forever for eight moves. Calculating options is very difficult. But a person has the method of exclusion and therefore always wins against the computer.
Have you ever played toguz korgool?
