Alexander is a friend and his family. Alexander Druz and his Elena: The main prize of the honored intellectual. If they forgot and don’t know the word they need and ask: “Mom, can I speak in English,” we remember together how it will be in Russian and analyze it together,

04.03.2020

September 4 marks 35 years since the release of the first program "What? Where? When?". This intellectual TV game made famous many residents of Russia and the CIS countries.

Alexander Druz plays "What? Where? When?" since 1981. A system engineer by education, he graduated with honors from the Leningrad Institute of Railway Transport Engineers.

Five-time winner of the "Crystal Owl" prize (1990, 1992, 1995, 2000 and 2006).

In the final game of the 1995 winter series, Alexander Druz was awarded the honorary title of Master of the game "What? Where? When?", awarded the Big Crystal Owl and the Order of the Diamond Star as the best player in all 20 years of the elite club's existence.

From 1998 to 2001 worked in the company "NTV-Kino" as an executive director, and also served as a producer-coordinator and chief consultant.

In 2001, he became the general director of New Russian Series LLC. Here, until 2006, he produced such television series as "Streets of Broken Lights", "Secrets of the Investigation", "National Security Agent", "Children of the Arbat", "Taxi Driver", "Cop Wars", "Airport" and others.

From 2006 to the present - General Director of LLC "Forward-Film", producer and co-producer of the TV series "Katerina", "Protection of Krasin", "Schedule of Fates", "Special Group", "Cop Wars-3", "Web" , "Cop in law", "Highway Patrol". Member of the Union of Journalists of Russia, member of the Guild of Producers of Russia, member of the Academy of Russian Television.

The author of the monument to TV presenter Vladimir Voroshilov at the Vagankovsky cemetery.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

USSR → Russia, Russia Website:

Biography

Mind games

In the TV game "What? Where? When? ” first appeared in 1981, since then it has performed almost without interruption, which is a game record. In 1982, he became the first expert to be disqualified for hinting to players. He also holds records for the number of games played - 86 (as of October 24, 2016) and victories - 54.

In 2009, as a legionnaire, he played for the Nikita Mobile TeTe team at the championships of Uzbekistan in Brain Ring (1st place) and in What? Where? When?" (2nd place), then at the I Open Cup of Tashkent (1st place in "What? Where? When?" and "Brain Ring", as well as in the overall standings - 2nd place in the erudite quartet) and Connoisseur-2009 in Eilat (including 2nd place at the Olympic tournament in "What? Where? When?"). In the same year, he played for the Great Britain national team at the Nations Cup in the game “What? Where? When?" in Kirov.

In 2010, he also played several times for the Nikita Mobile TeTe team, which won the VII Uzbekistan Championship, and then the VIII World Championship in the city of Eilat (Israel). In 2011 and 2012, this team won the national championship without a Master, but at the IX and X World Championships of those years, he joined the NMTT team. In Odessa (2011), together with the team, he became a silver medalist, and in Saransk (2012) - gold (becoming the only three-time world champion in the game "What? Where? When?").

According to the IAC ChGK website, he is one of the 11 players who took part in all ten world championships in sports “What? Where? When?" .

A family

Both daughters studied at the Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 239, where Alexander Druz still trains youth teams of experts, and also holds games “What? Where? When?" in a modified format for the entire school.

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Notes

An excerpt characterizing Friends, Alexander Abramovich

"What is it? I'm falling? my legs give way, ”he thought, and fell on his back. He opened his eyes, hoping to see how the fight between the French and the artillerymen ended, and wishing to know whether the red-haired artilleryman had been killed or not, whether the guns had been taken or saved. But he didn't take anything. Above him there was nothing but the sky—a high sky, not clear, but still immeasurably high, with gray clouds quietly creeping across it. “How quiet, calm and solemn, not at all the way I ran,” thought Prince Andrei, “not the way we ran, shouted and fought; not in the same way as the Frenchman and the artilleryman dragged each other's bannik with angry and frightened faces - not at all like the clouds crawling across this high, endless sky. How could I not have seen this lofty sky before? And how happy I am that I finally got to know him. Yes! everything is empty, everything is a lie, except for this endless sky. Nothing, nothing but him. But even that is not even there, there is nothing but silence, calmness. And thank God!…"

On the right flank at Bagration at 9 o'clock, the matter had not yet begun. Not wanting to agree to Dolgorukov's demand to start a business and wanting to deflect responsibility from himself, Prince Bagration suggested that Dolgorukov send the commander in chief to ask about it. Bagration knew that, at a distance of almost 10 miles, separating one flank from the other, if they did not kill the one who was sent (which was very likely), and if he even found the commander-in-chief, which was very difficult, the sent one would not have time to return earlier evenings.
Bagration glanced at his retinue with his large, expressionless, sleepy eyes, and Rostov's childish face, involuntarily dying with excitement and hope, was the first to catch his eye. He sent it.
- And if I meet his majesty before the commander-in-chief, your excellency? - said Rostov, holding his hand to the visor.
“You can pass it on to His Majesty,” said Dolgorukov hastily interrupting Bagration.
Having changed from the chain, Rostov managed to sleep a few hours before morning and felt cheerful, bold, resolute, with that elasticity of movements, confidence in his happiness and in that mood in which everything seems easy, fun and possible.
All his desires were fulfilled this morning; a general battle was given, he participated in it; moreover, he was an orderly under the bravest general; moreover, he went on an assignment to Kutuzov, and perhaps to the sovereign himself. The morning was clear, the horse under it was kind. His heart was full of joy and happiness. Having received the order, he started his horse and galloped along the line. At first he rode along the line of Bagration's troops, who had not yet entered into action and stood motionless; then he drove into the space occupied by Uvarov's cavalry and here he already noticed movements and signs of preparations for the case; having passed Uvarov's cavalry, he already clearly heard the sounds of cannon and cannon fire in front of him. The shooting intensified.
In the fresh, morning air there were already heard, not as before at unequal intervals, two or three shots, and then one or two cannon shots, and along the slopes of the mountains, in front of Pracen, the rifts of rifle fire were heard, interrupted by such frequent shots from guns that sometimes several cannon shots no longer separated from each other, but merged into one common roar.
One could see how the smoke of the guns seemed to be running along the slopes, chasing each other, and how the smoke of the guns swirled, blurred and merged one with the other. One could see, by the gleam of bayonets between the smoke, moving masses of infantry and narrow bands of artillery with green boxes.
Rostov, on a hillock, stopped his horse for a moment to examine what was being done; but no matter how he strained his attention, he could neither understand nor make out anything of what was being done: some people were moving there in the smoke, some canvases of troops were moving in front and behind; but why? who? where? could not be understood. This sight and these sounds not only did not arouse in him any dull or timid feeling, but, on the contrary, gave him energy and determination.
“Well, more, give me more!” - he turned mentally to these sounds and again started galloping along the line, penetrating further and further into the area of \u200b\u200bthe troops that had already entered into action.
“I don’t know how it will be there, but everything will be fine!” thought Rostov.
Having passed some kind of Austrian troops, Rostov noticed that the next part of the line (it was the guard) had already entered into action.
"All the better! I'll take a closer look, he thought.
He went almost to the front line. Several riders galloped towards him. These were our Life Lancers, who were returning from the attack in disordered ranks. Rostov passed them, noticed involuntarily one of them in the blood and galloped on.
"I don't care about that!" he thought. Before he had time to travel a few hundred steps after that, as to his left, across from him, appeared throughout the field a huge mass of cavalrymen on black horses, in white shiny uniforms, who trotted straight at him. Rostov set his horse at full gallop in order to get out of the way from these cavalrymen, and he would have left them if they were still walking at the same gait, but they kept gaining speed, so that some horses were already galloping. Rostov became more and more audible to their clatter and rattling of their weapons, and their horses, figures and even faces became more visible. These were our cavalry guards attacking the French cavalry advancing towards them.
The cavalry guards galloped, but still holding the horses. Rostov had already seen their faces and heard the command: "March, march!" uttered by an officer who released his blood horse at full swing. Rostov, fearing to be crushed or lured into an attack on the French, galloped along the front, which was the urine of his horse, and still did not have time to pass them.
The extreme cavalry guard, a huge, pockmarked man, frowned angrily when he saw Rostov in front of him, with whom he would inevitably collide. This cavalry guard would certainly have knocked down Rostov with his Bedouin (Rostov himself seemed so small and weak in comparison with these huge people and horses), if he had not guessed to wave a whip in the eyes of a cavalry guard horse. The black, heavy, five-inch horse shied away, laying its ears; but the pockmarked cavalry guard drove huge spurs into her flanks, and the horse, waving its tail and stretching out its neck, rushed even faster. As soon as the cavalry guards passed Rostov, he heard their cry: "Hurrah!" and looking around, he saw that their front ranks were mixed with strangers, probably French, cavalrymen in red epaulettes. It was impossible to see anything further, because immediately after that, cannons began to shoot from somewhere, and everything was covered with smoke.
At that moment, as the cavalry guards, passing him, disappeared into the smoke, Rostov hesitated whether to gallop after them or go where he needed to. It was that brilliant attack of the cavalry guards, which surprised the French themselves. Rostov was terrified to hear later that out of all this mass of huge handsome people, out of all these brilliant, on thousands of horses, rich young men, officers and cadets who galloped past him, only eighteen people remained after the attack.
“What should I envy, mine will not leave, and now, perhaps, I will see the sovereign!” thought Rostov and galloped on.
As he drew level with the guards infantry, he noticed that cannonballs were flying through and around her, not so much because he heard the sound of cannonballs, but because he saw anxiety on the faces of the soldiers and on the faces of the officers - an unnatural, militant solemnity.
Driving behind one of the lines of infantry guards regiments, he heard a voice calling him by name.
- Rostov!
- What? he replied, not recognizing Boris.
– What is it? hit the first line! Our regiment went on the attack! - said Boris, smiling with that happy smile that young people have when they have been in a fire for the first time.
Rostov stopped.
– That's how! - he said. - Well?
- Repulsed! - Boris said animatedly, becoming chatty. - You can imagine?
And Boris began to tell how the guards, having taken their place and seeing the troops in front of them, mistook them for the Austrians and suddenly learned from the cannonballs fired from these troops that they were in the first line, and unexpectedly had to enter into action. Rostov, without listening to Boris, touched his horse.

Alexander Druz since his appearance on television in 1981 in the game “What? Where? When?" very quickly became popular and recognizable. In it, in an incomprehensible way, restraint coexisted with the excitement of a real player. Of course, the intellectual had many admirers. But it can be confidently called monogamous. He has known his wife for more than half a century, and in September 2018 he will celebrate 40 years since the wedding.

school love

They met in first grade. It cannot be said that they instantly became friends, and then the school friendship grew into love. They just studied together for 2 years, and after that Elena's family moved to another area. But the girl's mother believed that Alexander was a very good boy, so he should be invited to visit. And for a couple of years, Sasha Friends regularly went to Elena's birthday. And he invited her to his birthday parties, respectively.

True, Lenochka did not understand why Friends were visiting. While all the children happily played and talked, Sasha picked up a book, sat in a corner and spent all the time in the company of a book.

Their connection was soon interrupted, but Sasha kept the girl's home phone number in his notebook. And when, after a few years, I decided to congratulate all the girls I knew on International Women's Day, I called Lena. He was curious about how much his childhood friend had changed and proposed to meet.

Elena later recalled how she could not wait for the end of the date. Sasha just told her non-stop jokes. But she still went on a second date. She does not hide now: at first she simply used Alexander. He helped her to do physics, and during the dates in St. Petersburg he talked a lot and interestingly about the sights of his native city.

But somehow imperceptibly, the relationship grew from friendly to romantic. By the end of school, they both no longer doubted: it was love. But they were in no hurry to go to the registry office.

A smarter approach to life

Alexander and Elena decided to get an education first and only after that start a family. Alexander did not immediately go to the institute through the competition, but entered the industrial-pedagogical technical school and only then graduated from the institute. Elena became a student of the First Medical. Although she dreamed of just teaching, she did not find the strength to resist the decision of her mother.

Surprisingly, Lena's mother, who treated Sasha so warmly in childhood, suddenly turned out to be almost his ideological enemy. She always adhered to communist views, while Alexander, for some reason, expressed seditious, in her opinion, thoughts. He was a clear supporter of dissidence.

But as a result, the daughter announced that Friends had proposed to her, and her mother simply had to come to terms with her choice. The future mother-in-law herself did not experience any particular joy about this.

The newlyweds settled with Elena, and here Alexander learned to show miracles of diplomacy. He didn't get into arguments or talk about politics. In addition, he tried to control that his mother did not watch those programs that led her to an exacerbation of her diseases. When she fell ill, he courted her without expressing displeasure.

"What? Where? When?" on TV and in real life

In 1979, the couple had a daughter, Inna, in 1982, Marina. For the first time in the program “What? Where? When?" Alexander Druz appeared in 1981. And almost immediately he gained unprecedented popularity. A simple systems engineer suddenly became a real star. However, he did not particularly monitor his rating. He liked to read, he liked to learn new things, and the game allowed him to skillfully use this knowledge.

Over the years of playing at the club, he managed to win all conceivable and unimaginable awards, and also bring up a worthy replacement for himself. Both daughters of the intellectual very successfully began to play “What? Where? When?".

When asked how Alexander Abramovich and his wife developed the intellectual abilities of their daughters, both answer that no one did this on purpose. They just read books to them from the age of three months, and then they sent them to a good mathematical school.

Daughters say that parents always answered questions. Never in their lives have they been dismissed or referred to as being busy. Alexander Abramovich also taught girls to look for answers to questions on their own. They did not have bans on books, each read what she considered useful for herself.

Surprisingly, the eldest daughter Inna turned out to be a lover of books about the revolution, and the younger daughter did not share her sister's hobbies, preferring pirate romance and books about Robin Hood.
Inna and Marina (each of them has two daughters) raise their girls in the same way as they once raised them.

The secret of family happiness

Alexander Abramovich has repeatedly said in his interviews that Elena is his main prize in life. His wife believes that his constancy is from laziness. There is already a woman who is constantly nearby, comfortable and understandable. There is no need to do anything further, to conquer anyone.

Intellectual game "What? Where? When?" enjoyed great popularity. But why was its creator fired from television several times?

I always admire the game of experts "What? Where? When?", I really love two masters - Maxim Potashev and Alexander Druz. Where do experts work? Or has the game become their main occupation?

N. K o n o v a l o v a, Stavropol Territory

Friends - teleboss

"The GAME does not feed," the master and four-time winner of the "Crystal Owl" Alexander Druz answered us. "All experts have their favorite work. Personally, I am the program manager of the St. of fate", on REN-TV the series "Agency", recently there was a series "Vovochka" - all of them were produced by our television company, however, I did not relate to all of them.

The daughters of Alexander Friends Inna and Marina, as you know, also appeared on the air of "What? Where? When?". “They are quite normal modern girls,” their father says about them. “Friends, discos, boys. Both are very fond of any extreme pastime: they are fond of horses, go on geek boats along the Neva and the Gulf of Finland. Inna graduated from St. Petersburg University of Economics and Finance , studies in graduate school and works in one of the largest St. Petersburg banks, and the youngest, Marina, switched to the 4th year of this university.

Dad, unlike daughters, is not such an extreme person. He prefers a quiet and relaxing holiday. Favorite places (except St. Petersburg): Paris, Amsterdam, Mikhailovskoye. He travels only with his wife Elena, whom he met in the 1st grade. “My mother-in-law claimed that we met even earlier, but I don’t remember that,” says Alexander. “From the 1st to the 3rd grade we studied together, then Lena moved to another school. And in the 9th grade I congratulated Lena since March 8, we met and have been together ever since."

Potashev - manager

SECOND MASTER "What? Where? When?" Maxim Potashev, 33, is the head of the analytical center at Kaspersky Lab, which develops anti-virus programs. “Fortunately, the game does not interfere with work,” Maxim said. “But it takes all the free time that I have. Does popularity interfere? working?!" We have to debunk this misleading impression.

Maxim's wife, like Friends' wife, is called Lena, and they met thanks to the game - Lena played in the Moscow club "What? Where? When?". But Potasheva's wife has never played on the air, and she does not come to the studio to cheer for her husband. “Lena is very nervous, this is transmitted, and I also start to worry, so we decided that it was better not to experiment,” says Maxim. “But recently at the world championship of the What? Where? When?", held in Baku, Lena played with me in the same team." The Potashevs have no children yet.

Burda - culinary specialist

And WHERE do the rest of the "What? Where? When?" experts work?

Rovshan Askerov - "Sport-Express" columnist.

Boris Burda is the host of a culinary program on Ukrainian television.

Fedor Dvinyatin - lecturer at St. Petersburg State University, Department of Philology.

Georgy Zharkov - Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Vladimir State Pedagogical University, Member of the Expert Council on Youth Policy of the Administration of the Vladimir Region.

Sergey Tsarkov - Vice President of the Oleg Efremov Foundation, entrepreneur.

Victor Sidnev - director of Troitsk-Telecom, deputy of the Troitsk City Council of Deputies.

→Russia 22x20px Russia

Alexander Abramovich Friends(May 10, 1955, Leningrad) - Soviet and Russian player of mind games. Master of the game "What? Where? When? "(ChGK), winner of the Diamond Owl prize, as well as a six-time winner of the Crystal Owl prize, three-time world champion in the sports version of ChGK, director of the St. Petersburg branch of the International Association of Clubs of ChGK. A multiple participant in the television games "Brain Ring" and "Own Game", in which he established a number of achievements.

By profession - system engineer; He served as the head of television programs for the St. Petersburg channel "STO".

Biography

Alexander Druz was born on May 10, 1955 in Leningrad. In a Jewish family.

In 1972 he graduated from the Leningrad secondary school No. 47 named after. K. D. Ushinsky. In 1975 he graduated from the Leningrad Industrial and Pedagogical College of PTO with a degree in electrical engineering, master of industrial training. In 1980 he graduated with a degree in systems engineering. He was in the construction business. Since 1991, Alexander Druz has been teaching schoolchildren. He worked at the 171st French gymnasium and at the Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 239. He repeatedly organized school tournaments in the ChGK of urban and international significance.

For merits in the field of education he was awarded the medal "In memory of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg".

Mind games

According to the IAC ChGK website, he is one of the 11 players who took part in all ten world championships in sports “What? Where? When?" .

A family

Wife Elena Druz is a doctor,
Two daughters: Inna and Marina, both also play What? Where? When? ” and were awarded with Crystal Owls.
Granddaughter Alice (born 2008).
Granddaughter Alina (born 2011) [ ] [[C:Wikipedia:Articles without sources (country: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. )]][[C:Wikipedia:Articles without sources (country: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. )]]
Ansley's granddaughter (b. 2014)
Granddaughter Roni (born 2016)