President Tokayev praises World Chess Championship in Astana

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan welcomed the top two contenders for the title of world chess champion, Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi. The president has highly appreciated the level of organization of the most prestigious tournament of the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

«The tournament got attention from all over the world. Chess lovers monitored closely the course of the competition. I think that it was a successful tournament,» Tokayev said.

He congratulated Ding Liren on the victory and expressed his respect to Nepomniachtchi for the skills he demonstrated.

President Tokayev said that chess is going to have a bright future in Kazakhstan.

«There are more than 200,000 chess players in the country. This figure must be doubled by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation (KCF) and with the help of FIDE,» he highlighted.

The World Chess Championship finished in Astana on May 2, 2023. Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren has been pronounced the 17th world chess champion in Astana after he beat Nepomniachtchi during the intense fight for the title.

According to Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. and President of the KCF, it is a big honor for Kazakhstan to host FIDE World Chess Championship 2023. He believes that the championship in Astana has been organized quite well. It is just as successful as previous tournaments by FIDE and will improve cooperation with FIDE for future international events.

Freedom Holding Corp. was the general partner of the event, providing a prize fund of €2 million.