ASTANA – Kazakhstan, as a chess nation, has players with high fighting spirit, said International Chess Federation (FIDE) Deputy Chair, female grandmaster and the captain of the women’s world team Dana Reizniece-Ozola at an April 17 press conference devoted to the FIDE women’s teams match, a side event of the World Chess Championship in Astana, reported Kazinform.
Photo credit: Kazakhstan Chess Federation.
According to her, it is important to the FIDE that chess players are respected, welcomed and loved.
“Chess players feel very good in Kazakhstan. The national team of Kazakhstan is solid. (…) This event is a good advertisement for women’s chess. We want more girls to play chess and stay in the chess world,” she said.
Reizniece-Ozola expressed hope for many more exciting events, both international and local, in Kazakhstan.
Welcoming chess players to Kazakhstan, President of Kazakhstan Chess Federation Timur Turlov wished the participants success.
“Major chess holiday continues with a match between the women’s teams of Kazakhstan and the world. This is a unique chess event for Kazakhstan. I am infinitely proud that the history of this game is being written in Kazakhstan,” said Turlov.
According to the captain of Kazakhstan’s national team and female grandmaster Gulmira Dauletova, Kazakh chess players focus on victory as the country holds such an event for the first time. Previously only the world men’s team played against the Soviet Union and Russia’s national teams in 1970, 1984, and 2002.
Both teams feature eight FIDE high-ranked chess players.
The match is held on April 17-19 at the Astana International Financial Centre.
Kazakhstan hosts the women’s chess match as part of the FIDE World Championship 2023, which will last through May 1. The event will make history by revealing a new champion, as Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi and China’s Ding Liren battle to seize the throne left vacant by Magnus Carlsen’s withdrawal last year.
