Commentator of the chess tournament of the contenders, Grandmaster Sergey Shipov said that in his childhood, Oleg Tabakov was given to the chess circle of the Pioneer Palace, where he began to play successfully. In the neighborhood there was a drawing circle, where the number of girls significantly exceeded the number of boys. Once, the director of the drawing club asked the chess manager to borrow three boys for the mass match. Three boys left, including Tobakov, who remained there for the rest of his life.