FIDE World Championship: Opening press conference
The two contenders for the title of World Champion held their cards close in front of the media, revealing only snippets of intriguing information The first press conference of the 2023 FIDE World Chess Championship Match took place at the Press Centre room of the St Regis Hotel in Astana. The press conference was a momentous occasion as the players and officials gathered to discuss the upcoming match that will determine the 17th world champion in chess. The speakers at the conference were FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, Timur Turlov, Founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corporation, General Partner of the FIDE World Championship as well as the two players – Grandmasters Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren. Parallels with the 1948 World Chess Championship The first to address the press was FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich who said that this match represents “the flagship competition for the whole chess world and FIDE.” Drawing parallels with the 1948 World Chess Championship, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich highlighted the significance of this year’s event. “Back in 1948, after Alexander Alekhine passed away, FIDE decided to organise a tournament between six players to determine the new World Champion. The players who were due to take part were Max Euwe, Mikhail Botvinnik, Paul Keres, Salo Flohr, Samuel Reshevsky and Reuben Fine. Unfortunately, Fine decided just a few days before the match to pull out, and there was no time for a substitute, so it was a round-robin tournament between five players. Two games were played in the Hague, three in Moscow and the Match was won by Botvinnik.” Dvorkovich was referring to the fact that the current World Champion Magnus Carlsen opted to give up his crown so that this match has to have a different form, to be a duel between two challengers. “You can draw some parallels between 1948 and now, but all parallels are artificial”, the President of FIDE said. From Argentina to Astana – how the host city was chosen Dvorkovich also spoke about the way Astana was chosen to host the match. “The match was supposed to take place in Argentina as they were the main bidder. We then received a very serious bid from Kazakhstan, and we decided to host it here. We are very grateful to them for hosting us… Also, it is more convenient for spectators both in China and Russia to watch the match in a country which is in between, just because of the time zones. Finally, for Kazakhstan itself, this event will create a great impetus for chess”, Dvorkovich said. Honour and opportunity: Why Kazakhstan decided to host the match Timur Turlov, Founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corporation, which is the General Partner of the FIDE World Championship, noted that the decision to host the Match in Kazakhstan was “simple”, given the ambitions his country has both in chess and globally. “We have a very strong culture of playing chess [in Kazakhstan]. We have a very strong women’s team, we have a lot of kids, and this kind of sport is growing very fast in popularity. Kazakhstan can benefit much from this unique event. We want to use this opportunity to attract more attention to our country as a sports nation and to inspire more children to take up chess and see the social and professional opportunities in this sport”. In recent years Kazakhstan has increased efforts to promote itself to the world, and chess is one of the paths to that goal. Kazakhstan has hosted huge chess events, including the first leg of the Women’s Grand Prix as well as the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships. This is the first time the country is hosting a match for the title of world champion. “Hosting this event is a huge honour for us. It’s a chance for many of our chess players and professionals to touch the chess legends, see them in person here, in our capital, to experience the spirit of this great event. As a nation, we can show a high level of hospitality and we hope to continue hosting the best chess events in the world, to continue to promote our country,” Turlov said. The players speak It was time to turn to the players to speak. Despite efforts of the press, they kept their responses mostly short. Asked about how important is it to have the experience of playing one championship match already, Nepomniachtchi responded briefly: “It’s important, but it’s not everything, so I wouldn’t overestimate that”. When quizzed on what changes he made in his strategy in comparison to the Match in Dubai in 2021, Nepomniachtchi was again very brief: “It’s too early to reveal”. Nepomniachtchi, however, did confirm that his team of seconds has been strengthened with new members and that he hopes it will provide him with some novelties in the match. “I hope my skills have improved somewhat. As to my team preparation, I’d prefer not to expose anything. Some of the members of the team have been with me for a long time, but I have some new team members, so I hope my preparation has improved.” World No. 3 Ding Liren was asked to comment on the responsibility this match has put on him in light of the chance of becoming the first Chinese player in history to become a World Champion. “Sometimes I think about becoming the first Chinese world champion as well as the 17th World Champion and writing my name in history. If I can do that, it will be a huge glory”. Ding also noted that many people in China started to follow chess because of the match. He confessed that the decision of Magnus Carlsen not to play in the match – which ultimately meant that he would be the one taking part as a runner-up from the Candidates – surprised him. “I was surprised. Magnus not playing has surprised me a little bit.” Ding was also asked about the support he has from the Chinese government. “The