The Russian Draughts Cup competition has begun in Loo (After 4th round)
Loo is a resort village in the Lazarevsky District of the “City-Resort of Sochi” municipal formation in Krasnodar Krai.
The village is located on the Black Sea coast, at the mouth of the Loo River. It is situated 44 km southeast of the district center—the Lazarevskoye microdistrict—26 km northwest of Central Sochi, and 270 km south of the city of Krasnodar (by road). The A-147 “Dzhubga–Adler” federal highway and a branch of the North Caucasus Railway run through the neighborhood. The Loo railway platform operates in the neighborhood.
Название посёлка Лоо происходит от имени крупнейшего абазинского феодального рода Лау или Лоу (Лоовы), которые в период наибольшего расцвета Абхазского княжества владели этими территориями.
In the mountains west of Loo, at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, the ruins of a medieval Byzantine church dating from the 8th–9th centuries have been preserved. The northern wall of the building, constructed of limestone blocks, remains intact. The church is 11 meters wide, 20 meters long, and the walls are over one meter thick. In terms of masonry style, the church is similar to the Pitsunda and Lykhna churches in Abkhazia (see Loo Church).
Until 1864, the Ubykhs from the Vardane community lived in the Loo River valley. In the lower reaches of the river lay the village of Ismail Barakay Dzepsh—one of the leaders of the Ubykhs during the Caucasian War. After the end of the Caucasian War, the entire indigenous population was deported to the Ottoman Empire during a large-scale exodus. As a result, the Loo River valley was uninhabited for several years.
Starting in 1872, Russian, Armenian, and Greek settlers began to populate the Loo River basin. The territory itself was incorporated by the Russian emperor into the “Vardane” estate, which belonged to Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich.
But history is history, and draughts is draughts. And after getting to know the village of Loo a little, we’ll dive into the battles on the draughts boards. We’ll be happy to watch the games in the three rounds of the Russian Cup.