From 12 to 15 December, the Open Cups of the Republic of Belarus in swimming and chess were held almost simultaneously in Gomel and Brest. The national team of Russia, led by senior coach Maria Buiniakova, participated on the swimming lanes of the Aquatics Palace. The competitions were held in two age categories: from 2007 and younger and from 2006 and older. Our swimmers traditionally showed a high level of skill, winning 74 medals, 29 of which were gold. We would like to pay special...