ASTANA—The Kazakhstan Chess Federation, under the auspices of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), will host the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Club Championship in Astana from August 1-6.
FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Club Championship 2023. Photo credit: worldrapidblitzteams.fide.com
According to the press service of the Kazakh Chess Federation, the event expects approximately 300 people from more than 30 clubs worldwide.
The current world champions have confirmed their participation. The list includes Chinese chess grandmasters Ding Liren and Ju Wenjun, the 16th world chess champion Magnus Carlsen (Norway), former world champions Alexandra Kosteniuk (Switzerland) and Hou Yifan (China), vice-world champion Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia), Arjun Erigaisi (India), the winner of the 2022 Chess Olympiad Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan), Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan) and many other renowned world chess players.
Chess fans from more than 200 countries will follow the course of the competition.
The World Cup will be held at the Astana Convention Center. The FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Championships opening ceremony will take place on August 1 at the Astana Amphitheater. It will be combined with the torch-lighting ceremony of the 45th Chess Olympiad, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of FIDE. The Olympic Flame arrived in Kazakhstan in May from Morocco and will now head to the UAE.
The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship’s official website announced the tournament’s total prize fund of 350,000 euros, with 250,000 euros allocated for Rapid and 100,000 euros for Blitz.
