Astana hosts FIDE World Championship Match 2023 opening ceremony
ASTANA. KAZINFORM On April 7, the Astana Ballet Theater opened its doors wide for all chess lovers. The atmosphere was quite different in the large hall, where performances are usually staged. The entire world with rapt attention will watch a spectacular battle of two bright chess players of the planet: Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren, Kazinform reports.
Eminent, famous chess players, the officials of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) are arriving at the capital of Kazakhstan from different parts of the world to watch the Ian Nepomniachtchi - Ding Liren match. These players occupy the second and third lines in the FIDE world rankings: Ian Nepomniachtchi - 2793 and Ding Liren - 2788.
Kazakh national anthem and the FIDE anthem were performed at the ceremony.
President of the International Chess Federation Arkady Dvorkovich, President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation Timur Turlov, world chess champions and grandmasters participated in the opening ceremony. Minister of Culture and Sport Askhat Oralov who came to congratulate the chess players on this significant event read out a letter of congratulation on behalf of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
«From the bottom of my heart I congratulate you on the opening of the World Chess Championship. This is a significant event for the fans of sport. Chess is a unique sport that helps a person develop his intellectual abilities. Our country gives special attention to the development of this sphere. Our chess players glorify the country at the global stage. I think that this significant event will give impetus to the further development of chess. I express my sincere gratitude to the International Chess Federation for participating in the organization of the championship,» the letter reads.
Throughout the ceremony, everything around reminded that the event was taking place in Kazakhstan: guests were wearing traditional Kazakh clothes, the video on the LED screen featured the picturesque nature of Kazakhstan, Kazakh strongmen demonstrated their abilities on stage and, of course, Kazakh music emphasized the atmosphere.
Most of all, the guests remembered how a draw was organized. Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren stepped onto the stage together with a robot. The robotic hand mixed pieces in the bowl and picked a white one. The honour of the first move in the match went to Ian Nepomniachtchi, who said: «White is not bad, but black is good as well.«
President Arkady Dvorkovich said that it will be a tough fight. «They strive to win, and will try to surprise their opponents. I hope that millions of viewers will like it,» he said.
President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Holding Corp. Timur Turlov added that the tournament will inspire millions of people.
«If more children come to the chess schools, and the reputation of Kazakhstan as an open and hospitable country is strengthened, this will be my main big achievement. We are indeed becoming a country of digital nomads. It is a great pride for us to host the international championship and do absolutely everything to ensure that it takes place in compliance with the best world practices. We are also preparing for the International School Chess Olympiad, which is due to take place this year. We look forward to holding even more interesting events. We will also see a match of Kazakhstan’s female chess team vs the world team,» said Turlov.