ASTANA – Astana will host the FIDE World Chess Championship 2023 from April 7 to May 1, as announced by the International Chess Federation on March 23.
Photo credit: en.chessbase.com.
The championship will be contested by Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi and China’s Ding Liren after incumbent champion Magnus Carlsen decided not to defend his title. Ding Liren finished as runner-up in the 2022 Candidates Tournament and therefore got the opportunity to face the tournament’s winner Nepomniachtchi for the world champion title.
The historic event at the St Regis Hotel in Astana, where a new world chess champion will be crowned, will be commentated by the eight-time United States women’s champion Irina Krush, the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, and one of the most creative grandmasters Daniil Dubov.
All the games will start at 3 p.m. local Astana time under St. Regis iconic glass-domed Winter Garden, which pays homage to the traditional Kazakh yurt.
“Kazakhstan is a thriving country with a flourishing economy and a privileged geographical situation, which made it perfect for hosting this match,” said FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich.
Argentina, Mexico, and China were all strong contenders to host the FIDE World Championship 2023. However, Astana’s geographical location and experience hosting World Chess Championships and other chess tournaments resulted in the FIDE Council picking Kazakhstan’s capital.
The first leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix took place in the Kazakh capital in September 2022. Astana also hosted the FIDE World Team Chess Championship in March 2019.
The FIDE World Championship 2023 is organized by the International Chess Federation and the Kazakhstan Chess Federation with the support of the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Akimat (Mayor’s Office) of Astana.
