London Chess Candidates 2013 Opening Ceremony Held; Watch Live First Match Today 1400 GMT

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

The long-awaited FIDE World Candidates Tournament 2013 was officially opened on Thursday night by FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov at IET London, Savoy Palace. The tournament’s opening ceremony was attended by chess officials, sponsors, and international chess media. Over fourteen rounds, eight of the very best chess players in the world will fight for the right to challenge World Champion Viswanathan Anand in a world title match later this year.

At the start of the ceremony, head of AGON Andrew Paulson presented the specially designed Championship chess set of World Chess, and gave the very first set to Mr. Ilyumzhinov. Designed by Pentagram, the chess set will be available for sale in a number of different editions.

Paulson also pointed out the new design of the playing hall and the ChessCasting software that will be used to transmit the games live to the world. "It's a new design to make more aesthetic the experience of watching or being a spectator at a tournament," said Paulson. One novelty is that small interactive tablets will be handed out to spectators in the playing hall which will allow the audience to have a personal experience in the hall while watching the players – something that's unique for any sport. Andrew Paulson also mentioned the special security measures with unique technology prepared by the organizers that will be used for the first time on this event.

Before officially opening the event, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov reminded the guests of the long chess tradition in London, where 19th-century players like Howard Staunton, Wilhelm Steinitz and Emanuel Lasker achieved successes. "Over the next three weeks London will be the main chess centre in the world. Attention of millions of chess lovers will turn to London. It's here the challenger for the title of World Champion will be determined. The Candidates Tournament is the main and most expected tournament of the year in the chess world," said Ilyumzhinov.

The FIDE World Candidates Tournament takes place March 14th-April 2nd, 2013 at IET London, Savoy Place. It is sponsored by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and organized by AGON and the World Chess Federation (FIDE). The eight participants are Magnus Carlsen of Norway, Levon Aronian of Armenia, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan, Alexander Grischuk of Russia, Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, Peter Svidler of Russia and Boris Gelfand of Israel. The first round will start Friday, March 15th, 2013 at 14:00 GMT. Games and information can be found at http://london2013.fide.com. (Report by Peter Doggers/Pictures by Anastasiya Karlovich)

Schedule
Day Date Time
Opening Ceremony Thursday 14/03/2013
Round 1 Friday 15/03/2013 14:00
Round 2 Saturday 16/03/2013 14:00
Round 3 Sunday 17/03/2013 14:00
Free day Monday 18/03/2013
Round 4 Tuesday 19/03/2013 14:00
Round 5 Wednesday 20/03/2013 14:00
Round 6 Thursday 21/03/2013 14:00
Free Day Friday 22/03/2013
Round 7 Saturday 23/03/2013 14:00
Round 8 Sunday 24/03/2013 14:00
Round 9 Monday 25/03/2013 14:00
Free day Tuesday 26/03/2013
Round 10 Wednesday 27/03/2013 14:00
Round 11 Thursday 28/03/2013 14:00
Round 12 Friday 29/03/2013 14:00
Free day Saturday 30/03/2013
Round 13 Sunday 31/03/2013 14:00
Round 14 Monday 01/04/2013 14:00
Tie-Breaks if needed/ Closing Ceremony Tuesday 02/04/2013

Event Venue: IET Savoy Place, London
Address: 2 Savoy Place, London WC2R 0BL

Also Read: 

Big Chess Show 2013: Candidates' Opening Ceremony Today

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