The opening ceremony of the chess tournament Battle of Champions was held at the National Carpet Museum.
Idman.biz reports that the event began with the screening of a video dedicated to the art of carpet weaving.
In her speech, the Director of the National Carpet Museum, Amina Malikova, explained that the selection of this venue was no coincidence: “For the first time in our museum's history, an international chess tournament is being held. We know that chess is always regarded as a symbol of high intelligence. I hope that the carpets you see here will have a positive impact on our chess players.”
Afterward, a video dedicated to the tournament was shown.
The President of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation, Mahir Mammadov, wished the chess players success. He praised the regular organization of such tournaments as a positive aspect.
In his speech, the President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Arkady Dvorkovich, spoke about the unity of culture and sports: “We see the union of chess and culture in one place. Dear chess players, I am sure you will enjoy playing here and will also inspire the artists.”
Later, Mahir Mammadov presented a souvenir gift to Arkady Dvorkovich.
The tournament draw was then held.
In the Battle of Champions, Azerbaijani champion Rauf Mammadov will compete against FIDE World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan), while the winner of the women’s national championship, Gunay Mammadzada, will face World and European Champion Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria). The winner of the tournament will be determined based on the combined results of the rapid and blitz events.
The tournament will continue until April 30.
Aytaj Sahed
Idman.biz
