Upon the end of the official opening ceremony of the FIDE Women’s World Championship in Khanty-Mansiysk, Governor of Ugra Natalia Komarova and FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich answered the questions of the mass media.

The President of FIDE Arkady Dvorkovich told about the importance of Women’s World Championship.

“I’m happy to attend another big chess competition in Khanty-Mansiysk. This is the first tournament in Russia I’m declaring open as FIDE President, and its is also the first “adult” tournament for me in this role as I’ve already opened the world youth championship in Greece. It’s a great honor that Khanty-Mansiysk is holding one of the most important FIDE competitions. The main change about it is that the semi-finalists of this championship, except for the winner, will take part in the Candidates tournament of the next Women’s Championship cycle. This is the main news of the chess world. And we’re counting on the scenario where chess and women’s chess specifically will get more attention of media. On behalf of FIDE, I want to thank the Government of Ugra, the Organizing Committee, and everyone involved in making this tournament happen”.

The Governor of the region Natalia Komarova thanked FIDE for trusting Khanty-Mansiysk to host major chess tournament:

“I want to note that there is no such thing as too many chess tournaments for Ugra. I would like to thank FIDE for their trust in our region. With all the procedures required to get the right to hold an international competition, FIDE keeps choosing Ugra as a host of its events. Thank you for that. We wouldn’t get that kind of trust if we didn’t put so much effort in chess development such as the introduction of “Chess in Schools” program and the increase in the number of chess classes in the region. For example, today one of new chess clubs was opened and the FIDE President saw with his own eyes how such events usually happen here.

When major international tournaments are held in a particular city of the world, the interest of people in this sport increases. According to statistics, our region has the largest number of children attending chess classes. We are proud of our chess players who are members of the national team: Dmitry Jakovenko and Olga Girya, as well as the most titled chess athlete in Russia among disabled Andrei Obodchuk. I hope that together we will cheer for them and support them.

What is so special about the tournament? Just recently the FIDE President has noted that the prize fund of Women’s World Championship cycle would be increased and this is the right decision for women. Our tournament is first in this renovated cycle. Of course, this makes it unique”.

On November 2, the FIDE Women’s World Championship 2018 officially started. The Opening Ceremony of the event was held in the Organ hall of the Concert and theater center “Ugra-Classic”.

Guests and participants had a chance to enjoy fairy-tale organ melodies performed by Elena Kozemirenko before the official part of the ceremony.

The first part of the ceremony started with the presentation of the participating countries. The flags of them all were carried on the stage: Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. There are 64 athletes from 28 countries playing in the Championship.

Chief Federal Inspector of Ugra Dmitry Kuzmenko and FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich appeared on the scene to welcome all the players on a hospitable Ugra land.

Dmitry Kuzmenko read a greeting letter from the President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

“We are proud of the history and wonderful traditions of our national chess school, the names of our famous winners and champions. This is why we are sincerely happy that an event of such magnitude is held in Russia again, in Khanty-Mansiysk, a city which is rightfully famous for its great experience in organizing such high-level sporting events. It won’t be an overstatement to say that this Women’s World Chess Championship has brought together the top chess players of the planet. During the qualifying games, they have already demonstrated their outstanding abilities, played beautiful, exciting games. And, of course, the very format of the tournament requires from the participants exceptional concentration, attention, focus on the result. I am convinced that the Championship will be a spectacular, memorable chess festival and will bring true pleasure to everyone who loves this unique, intellectual sport”, – says the letter of the President of Russia.

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich took the floor next:

“On behalf of FIDE, let me greet you in Khanty-Mansiysk, at the Opening Ceremony of the Women’s World Championship 2018. Khanty-Mansiysk is the place where major tournaments have been already held: World Chess Olympiad, World Cup, FIDE Grand Prix legs and many others. I am sure that everyone of you enjoys to play and to be here feeling the hospitality of Siberia and its people and a high-level organization of the tournament. I would like to thank organizers, Government of Ugra and its Governor Natalia Komarova in person, local authorities, the Ugra Chess Federation, media, arbiters, Appeals Committee members, and everyone involved in the Championship, everyone who will help you show your best here. You are the most talented, professional, and beautiful ladies playing chess. Of course, there will be one winner, but I would like to wish good luck and fair play to all of you. I would like you to show your best qualities to the whole world as the tournament will be broadcast online and everyone will see you playing.

I will make sure that in the future the Women’s World Championship cycle will be a standard one, and three semi-finalists except for the winner will qualify for the Candidates Tournament which will determine the challenger for the next World Championship Match with higher prizes and better conditions. I would like to reassure you that we will pay more attention to the women’s chess in the future. So everyone could enjoy chess in all its beauty as it is art, sport, and science. Good luck to everyone!”

After his speech, FIDE President declared the Championship open.

Before the start of the entertaining part of the ceremony the drawing of lots was carried out. Chief Arbiter Igor Bolotinsky invited the top seed of the Women’s World Championship, the reigning world champion Ju Wenjun of China, who picked a black pawn. It means that the players with odd starting numbers will start the first game of the first round with the black pieces.

The procedure of drawing lots was followed by bright and spectacular performances of singers and musicians playing accordion, domra and balalaika. Chamber orchestra “Sibir-brass” played a potpourri of famous melodies of the past.

It is to be reminded that the first round of Championship starts on November 3 in the Ugra Chess Academy.

A press-conference dedicated to the start of The FIDE Women’s World Championship took place on November 2, 2018, in the Regional Information Center “RIC Ugra”. Questions from press were answered by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, President of Ugra Chess Federation Vasily Filipenko, Executive Director of the tournament Valery Radchenko and a participant of the Championship representing Ugra, woman grandmaster Olga  Girya.

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich:

“Basing on the previous experience of Khanty-Mansiysk, we are fully confident that this Women’s World Championship will be organized at the highest level and to the highest quality standards for all those involved in it: participants, organizers, journalists. Previous tournaments held here proved this well. More than that, Khanty-Mansiysk got the right to hold two more major chess tournaments in the coming years – the World Cup in 2019 and the World Chess Olympiad in 2020. For FIDE this is an absolute mark of high quality. And for me, as a citizen of Russia, it is, of course, an honor that one of the capitals of Siberia hosts the largest chess forums.

Ugra has been one of the leading chess regions in recent years. Here it is developing faster than in most other regions of Russia: both on a professional level and on a level of children and youth. It is a huge progress. I think it was made with the hepl of local authorities, chess federation and all the enthusiasts who work here for the benefit of chess. Therefore, Ugra deserves our support, attention, and an honor of hosting such major chess tournaments.

In Women World Championship cycle we are moving to the system similar to the World Championship. Next year the Women’s Candidates Tournament will be held and then the Women’s World Championship Match between the current world champion, which will be determined here in Khanty-Mansiysk, and the challenger who will win the Candidates Tournament. And, of course, we are now working with partners and possible organizers on increasing the prize fund. It will be higher than it was before. Its increase will be the result of our work in the next few weeks”.

President of Ugra Chess Federation Vasily Filipenko:

Since the establishment of Ugra Chess Federation in 2005 we have made great progress in developing chess in the region. At the moment about 100 thousand people play chess in Ugra. Of course, not all of them are professionals, the number of professional players is not so big. But I mean those who are engaged in chess in various schools and educational institutions, take part in regional and local chess competitions. In Ugra national and international chess tournaments are held on a regular basis. Besides, both in the men’s and women’s national teams of Russia there are representatives of Ugra. They are Dmitry Jakovenko and Olga Girya. Of course, the dynamics of development is significant: both in terms of quantity and quality. ”

Executive Director of the tournament Valery Radchenko:

The experience gained by Khanty-Mansiysk in hosting international chess tournaments is quite big. If we talk about the peculiarities of holding international tournaments with representatives of different countries and continents we got a great experience while hosting the World Youth Championships U14, U16 and U18 in 2016. It concerns different time zones from which participants arrive, cuisine of different countries and issues of accommodation and communication. The hotel “Olympiyskaya” was modernized for the World Championship, specially for this event we made a special degign of three floors  with the photos of chess players who had already come to Khanty-Mansiysk in previous years. I think they will be pleased to see themselves in the walls of the hotel.

Most of the participants of the championship have been in Khanty-Mansiysk many times. Nevertheless, we will be happy to organize sightseeing tours for them, visits to museums and acquaintance with local traditions and cuisine. A symbolic face-off will be made by the finalists of the tournament at the ice-hockey game between “Ugra” and “Lada” clubs.

In order to attract more public attention to the World Championship, the press service of the tournament together with FIDE launched a big PR campaign, which involved not only famous chess players, but also representatives of other sports. Among them were such famous chess players as Nigel Short, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Susan Polgar, basketball players Sergey Bykov, Lazaros Papadopoulos and Andrei Kirilenko, sabre fencer Sofya Velikaya, athlete Sergey Shubenkov, skier Alexander Legkov, football players Dmitri Sychev and Dmitri Bulykin and many others”.

Woman grandmaster Olga  Girya:

“Knock-out system championship is not a tournament where you can plan with which of the players it will be more difficult or easier to play. Here you need to play well from the very first games. So, first of all, I prepared for my first opponent, Zhai Mo of China. She is a strong chess player who played for her team at the recently concluded Olympiad in Batumi.

The autumn tournament schedule was very tight, but, fortunately, I had 10 free days before the competition. All the players have been waiting for them for a very long time. I was able to rest for a week and prepare for the World Championship”.

The land of Ugra met the participants of the Women’s World Chess Championship with bread and salt.

Early in the morning today the flight from Moscow brought most of the contenders for the chess crown to the capital of Ugra. Among them were sisters Muzychuk, Antoaneta Stefanova, Chinese women’s team led by current world champion Ju Wenjun, Harika Dronavalli from India, Russian Marina Guseva, Natalia Pogonina and Olga Girya from Ugra, as well as many others.

Despite the long night flight, girls felt excited, tasted the traditional food of Ugra and enjoyed folk songs and dances.

“It’s my third time here in Khanty-Mansiysk, – says American chess player Sabina-Francesca Foisor. – I played in 2010 in the Chess Olympiad which was great and then I was here last year for the Women’s World Team Championship. Hopefully third time is a charm I don’t know but I am looking forward to playing here once again. I love people we are always welcomed with, very nice traditional music. Obviously, I am happy to be here again”.

The participants of the World Championship were not disappointed by the cold Siberian weather and snow that covered Khanty-Mansiysk a couple of weeks ago. “It happens. We travel so often and got used to the constant change of climate. As far as I remember this is my fourth or fifth time in Khanty-Mansiysk”, – says Nana Dzagnidze.

The only local among 64 participants of the event is Olga Girya. “The fact that the Women’s World Championship is held in Ugra gives me additional positive motivation. It is always nice to play at home. Luckily before the championship I had a 10-day break between the tournaments. At last! So I managed to have some rest and to work a bit. I feel calmer. In the championship I try not to look ahead. Need to go step by step. For now, the goal is the first round”.

The second part of chess players will arrive in Khanty-Mansiysk on the morning of November 2, and in the evening of the same day, at 19:00, they will all take part in the opening ceremony, where the drawing of lots will take place.

It is to be reminded that the FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship, in which 64 strongest chess players of the world will take part, will be held at the Ugra Chess Academy from November 2 to 23.