The representative of FIDE inspected the process of getting ready for the FIDE World Youth U14, U16, U18 Championships
Yesterday, on March’02, Assistant to the FIDE President Berik Balgabaev had a working visit to Khanty-Mansiysk. The aim of the visit was to check the readiness of Ugra Tennis Center to host the FIDE World Youth U14, U16, U18 Championships, that will start in the capital of the region on September’20’2016.
To host such a big international chess tournament the organizers need to foresee a lot of nuances and peculiarities of this intellectual sport. Thus, the floor in the playing hall shall be soft so that the participants walking around the room did not make noise and disturb other players, while the light shall not be too bright and distracting. The organizers of the Championships and FIDE representative have also discussed the issue of placing the audience in a way that will make impossible cheating and giving prompts to the players. The delegation has also inspected tables and chairs that will be used by young chess players who will be aspiring the titles of world champions.
«We had a lot of events in the building of Ugra Chess Academy and feel like home there. Hosting the FIDE World Youth U14, U16, U18 Championships in the Tennis Center was caused by the large number of participants coming to Khanty-Mansiysk, — said Berik Balgabaev, — At the moment we received applications from more than 400 players from 58 countries. The Ugra Chess Academy is too small for such a big event. Still it is not for the first time the Tennis Center hosts a chess tournament. In 2010 the games of Chess Olympiad were held there. Of cause, the new generation of players did not have a chance to compete there yet, still it will be a pleasure for them to meet a part of chess history. I think many participants of these championships in the future will be coming to Khanty-Mansiysk to play in other tournaments including Chess Olympiad 2020».
Berik Balgabaev has also noted that chess is very popular in the region. «FIDE is very much satisfied with our cooperation with Khanty-Mansiysk region. We have paid our attention to the speech of the governor of Ugra Natalia Komarova during the opening ceremony of the tournament in Poykovsky. It was said that chess is becoming one of the compulsory subjects in schools and other educational institutions. Of cause, it is very pleasant for us to hear this. The chess events hold here make this sport even more popular among the local people».
It is to be reminded that the FIDE World Youth U14, U16, U18 Championships will be held in the capital of the region from September’20 till October’04. It is not for the first time Ugra is hosting main international chess events. In 2010 it was the host of XXXIX Chess Olympiad and FIDE Congress, next year World Cup was held Khanty-Mansiysk while in 2012 the capital of the region hosted the Women’s World Chess Championships. Besides, in 2014 the Candidates Tournament and the stage of the Women’s FIDE Grand-Prix took place in Khanty-Mansiysk. The Ugra capital has held the final stage of the FIDE Grand-Prix and World Chess Championships among Juniors up to 20 years in 2015.
