During the break of the 7th round match of the Ukrainian Premier League (UPL) between Zhytomyr's Polissya and Kryvyi Rih's Kryvbas, cameras of the official UPL TV broadcaster captured an unusual and, at first glance, atypical episode for a football stadium. While the players rested in the dressing rooms before the second half, the VIP guests of the match decided to dedicate the pause to another sporting discipline — chess.
An Intellectual Duel in the Stands
According to Sport RBC.UA, citing the broadcast, the president of the Zhytomyr club, Hennadii Butkevych, staged a chess game right on the stadium. His opponent was Ivan Nadein, the head of Rivne's Veres, who arrived at the match at a personal invitation from the Zhytomyr side. Cameras captured the heads of two Premier League clubs intently analyzing positions on the board, turning the break into a full-fledged intellectual duel.
Results of the Football Part
The match itself ended with a minimal victory with a score of 1:0. The only goal was scored in the 6th minute from a penalty by Ihor Krasnopir. This victory allowed the team managed by Ruslan Rotan to keep the top spot in the UPL standings, having collected 18 points.
Reaction in Football Communities
The chess duel between Butkevych and Nadein quickly became one of the most discussed moments of the matchday in Ukrainian football communities and social networks. The contrast between the tense game on the board and the players' rest in the dressing rooms attracted the attention of fans and journalists.
Contradictory Data
Upon fact-checking, discrepancies in the details were found. In the main text, Polissya is presented as the home team, while a number of sources (Korrespondent, Championat) indicate that Kryvbas hosted the opponent. Moreover, different materials feature different dates for the match — March 14, 2025, and September 14, 2025. Given that it is the 7th round, the autumn date seems more likely; however, there is no final consensus among sources on the home team and the exact date.
