“Our country is one of World Chess Championship winners,” Timur Turlov says

This is a big honor for Kazakhstan to host the World Chess Championship 2023, according to Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. and president of Kazakhstan Chess Federation.

«I think that one of the key winners of this tournament is our country because hosting the champioship is a big honor for many reasons. This is a big honor for me as well. I do not doubt that this event will give momentum to both those who already play chess and those who just eye the game,» Turlov said during a press conference devoted to the FIDE 2023 tournament.

He believes that the championship in Astana has been organized quite well. It is not inferior to previous tournaments by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and will definitely improve cooperation with FIDE for future international events.

«This is a very important year that can give a boost to us. The world has to see that Kazakhstan is the right place for such an event. Our chess players are going to get a chance to take part in many events that we have been organizing for our children, our chess players, our arbitrators and all those people who are involved in the chess industry in Kazakhstan,» the president of Kazakhstan Chess Federation said.

Kazakhstan has already gained some experience in organizing such events. Not only do these events bring prestige to the country, but they give additional motivation for Kazakhstani chess players and allow participants to be «part of this big international event and believe in themselves, believe that everything is possible,» according to Turlov.

«We are very proud that a fight for the first place in the world chess hierarchy is going to be held on our soil. This match will be one of the most interesting games for the world champion title. There was no such intrigue in the past several years,» Turlov added.

FIDE World Chess Championship 2023 is ongoing in Astana and will last from April 7 to May 1. Given that the incumbent champion Magnus Carlsen decided not to defend his title against Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia), the winner of the Candidates Tournament 2022, Nepomniachtchi is going to play with the second-place finisher in the Candidates, Ding Liren (China) for the title.

The world chess championship match for first place in Astana is going to include 14 sets with a time control of 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move from move 61st. If neither player has won within the allotted time or the number of moves they will play a rapid chess game.

Freedom Holding Corp. is the general partner of the event with a prize fund of €2 million.