Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hi everyone,
"Anand ...can be rightfully considered the symbol of India's development into one of the mightiest technological powers of the modern world," says Russian Andrei Filatov, sponsor of forthcoming match for the world chess crown, according to media reports. "The current successes of Indian mathematicians and programmers in a way are the continuation of Anand's feat, which he has been demonstrating throughout his career beginning from the early 1990s," he said.
Filatov, a billionaire who co-owns railway and port operator N-Trans group, ranks 93 in the Forbes list of Russia's rich with $1.1 billion net worth in March 2011.
Born in Soviet Ukraine, Filatov, 39, graduated as a chess teacher and coach from the Academy of Physical Culture and Sports in the Belarus capital Minsk before he established one of the largest and effective infrastructure and logistics companies after the fall of communism and USSR's collapse.
Filatov credited Anand with amazing rise in the popularity of chess in Asia. "The credit for expanding the geography of chess in the East at the highest level, no doubt goes to Anand, he became the locomotive for the development of chess not only in India, but also China," Filatov said.
Filatov, who is sponsoring the Moscow match between Anand and Israel's challenger Boris Gelfand for the International Chess Federation (FIDE) crown carrying $2 million 550 thousand prize money, recalled that the two Grandmasters had for the first time locked horns in 1992 at the Alyokhin Memorial Tournament in the Russian capital.
"It was Anand's first triumph in a major international tournament. It's quite interesting that then in 1992 Anand had shared the first prize with Gelfand. And now the same grandmaster Gelfand will be challenging his chess crown here in Moscow," Filatov said.
And now after quarter a century FIDE would be again holding the prestigious match for the chess crown in Moscow in May 2012.
Filatov said he was sponsoring the chess championship match "purely out of love for the game".
"Anand and Gelfand are great chess players. I have no doubt that their match here will become one of the most interesting event in the modern history of chess," Filatov, the main investor for Moscow's bid said. You can read in English here.
Hi everyone,
"Anand ...can be rightfully considered the symbol of India's development into one of the mightiest technological powers of the modern world," says Russian Andrei Filatov, sponsor of forthcoming match for the world chess crown, according to media reports. "The current successes of Indian mathematicians and programmers in a way are the continuation of Anand's feat, which he has been demonstrating throughout his career beginning from the early 1990s," he said.
Filatov, a billionaire who co-owns railway and port operator N-Trans group, ranks 93 in the Forbes list of Russia's rich with $1.1 billion net worth in March 2011.
Born in Soviet Ukraine, Filatov, 39, graduated as a chess teacher and coach from the Academy of Physical Culture and Sports in the Belarus capital Minsk before he established one of the largest and effective infrastructure and logistics companies after the fall of communism and USSR's collapse.
Filatov, who is sponsoring the Moscow match between Anand and Israel's challenger Boris Gelfand for the International Chess Federation (FIDE) crown carrying $2 million 550 thousand prize money, recalled that the two Grandmasters had for the first time locked horns in 1992 at the Alyokhin Memorial Tournament in the Russian capital.
"It was Anand's first triumph in a major international tournament. It's quite interesting that then in 1992 Anand had shared the first prize with Gelfand. And now the same grandmaster Gelfand will be challenging his chess crown here in Moscow," Filatov said.
And now after quarter a century FIDE would be again holding the prestigious match for the chess crown in Moscow in May 2012.
Filatov said he was sponsoring the chess championship match "purely out of love for the game".
"Anand and Gelfand are great chess players. I have no doubt that their match here will become one of the most interesting event in the modern history of chess," Filatov, the main investor for Moscow's bid said. You can read in English here.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Also see her personal blog at
I wish Carlsen was playing the world championship. Just a fond wish. Though Anand and Gelfand are great champions.
ReplyDeleteThis is going to be the most unpredictable world chess title match ever I think. Good to look forward to in 2012. But hope the heady mix of top-level chess in 2011 continues in 2012. That would be awesome.
ReplyDeleteWho is Anand's successor in India?
ReplyDeleteLots of young talent in India waiting to show their prowess to the world.
ReplyDeleteI like Filatov's reason - 'love for chess'
ReplyDeleteMaybe sasikiran - the prodigy after Anand but he didn't play much.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to a nice world championship title.
ReplyDeleteGoing to be a very watchable title match in my humble opinion.
ReplyDeleteGelfand always shows his emotions during the game. Anand seldom does. It would be an interesting match also considering their respective ages. Plus in these times of computer chess. Going to be historically an important match.
ReplyDeleteLet's have a four-way world title prelims with anand gelfand carlsen ivanchuk (maybe svidler aronian morozevich polgar also)
ReplyDelete