Photo projects
9×12 — Chess
Champions from different sports on one chessboard — challenging stereotypes
2026_346 · 9×12 ШАХМАТЫ
The shoot
Champions on the chessboard
About the project
The brief and the answer
We brought champions together at the region’s main sports arena and turned it into a chessboard to confront two stereotypes once and for all: “chess is not a sport” and “chess is a quiet intellectual game only for men.” Both ideas belong in the past. The photo series was created for 9×12, a glossy magazine about people and for people.
Need something similar? Video production in Kaliningrad · Production across Russia
2stereotypes became the starting point for the shoot
1sports arena was transformed into a chessboard
The photo series appeared on the cover of 9×12 magazine
Backstage
On the pages of 9×12
The photo series became part of the issue and once again put FRANEMA’s work on the magazine cover.
Project grandmasters
- Idea
- 9×12
- CEO and casting
- Roman Vakhitov
- Producer and art director
- Anastasia Manzhos
- Photographer
- Olya Koltunova
- Stylist
- Ekaterina Borisova
- Make-up artist
- Elena Goryachaya
- Administrator
- Victoria Kravtsova
- Production designer
- Paulina Vrublevskaya
- Location
- Rostec Arena
Special thanks
- Support
- Ministry of Sport of the Kaliningrad Region · Kaliningrad Region National Teams Training Centre
- Sports community
- Federation presidents, coaches, team directors and managers
- Sports journalist
- Dmitry Ivanov
And all of it is FRANEMA — back on the cover once again.
And all of this is 
