Simplify the following text for a Grade 9 native English-speaking person.
Original: As an ambassador for Russian chess , Chigorin was a shining example ; he gave many lectures , wrote magazine articles and chess columns and subsidised or otherwise supported a number of periodicals to keep them afloat despite low readership levels .
Simplified: Chigorin gave many lectures , wrote magazine articles and chess columns . He subsidised or otherwise supported a number of periodicals to keep them afloat despite low readership levels .