World Chess Championship in Astana has turned global spotlight to Kazakhstan. Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren are competing for the world champion title and the prize fund of two million euros. According to Timur Turlov, the President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, holding such a large-scale event determines the status of Kazakhstan in world sports.
“This is the first time we host the World Chess Championship in Kazakhstan since gaining independence. We are very proud that we managed to win this right, mostly because we held the World Rapid and Blitz Championships at the highest level at the end of last year. We expect quite unprecedented attention to the results of this match. Because for the first time in many years, Magnus Carlsen is not participating in the competition, and we don't know the tournament favorite,” Turlov said.
The current event will become an important step in the development of chess in Kazakhstan and will lay a solid foundation for cooperation with FIDE for future competitions.
“I really hope that this event will attract even more attention to chess in Kazakhstan. Also, we can arrange a great number of masterclasses and events this month. It will allow our amateurs and professionals to get in touch with the greatest grandmasters of the chess world,” he added.
It bears noting that the first game of the World Chess Championship match ended in a draw, the second game will take place today.
