12 December 2021

FIDE World Championship Match Officially Closed in Dubai

The champion was awarded with a unique cup.

 
Sunday, December 12, the closing ceremony of the FIDE World Championship Match between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi took place at the Expo 2020 Dubai. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, CEO of PhosAgro and the CFR Vice-President Andrey Guryev, and Chief International Participants Operation Officer at Expo 2020 Dubai Omar Shekhadekh gave speeches at the ceremony. It was attended by the former world champions Nona Gaprindashvili, Viswanathan Anand, and Zhu Chen. 
 
“The world title match was very intense. We were all worried for Ian, but it so happened that today luck happened to side with Magnus. We congratulate the Norwegian grandmaster, and we wish Ian success in future!" – said Arkady Dvorkovich.
 
“This championship was the fourth championship in a row, which was sponsored by our company PhosAgro. This year we celebrate the 20-year anniversary. Every single match presents us with unique and emotional experience. We will never forget the sixth game of the match between Nepomniachtchi and Carlsen. 7 hours and 45 minutes the players made 136 moves. They broke the record that goes back 43 years ago! Well, the crown is not returning to Russia this year. Ian is a brilliant chess player, but unfortunately he did not have enough experience to win against Iron Magnus. While we are going to continue to develop chess in Russia at all levels together with the Chess Federation of Russia, nurturing new generation of players starting from schools and preschools. And this work is already bearing fruits – in two of the last three championships two players opposing Magnus were Russian grandmasters,” – said Andrey Guryev.
 
The world champion Magnus Carlsen was presented with a custom-made cup. The trophy over 5 kilograms in weigh features 925 sterling silver with 999 gold plating, and obsidian and has been manufactured in Russia. The item is set with 39 pearls and a diamond. The cup was created by masters of the CHAMOVSKIKH Jewellery House with the support of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation represented by its president Andrey Simanovsky, owner of Sima-Land company.
 
In his speech, the world champion thanked the organisers for hosting this match in Dubai and said “thank you” to his family and team for their help and support while preparing and throughout the title contest. 
 
The very same day in the Russian restaurant Chalet Berezka, the Karpov Chess project author, Konstantin Kurchenkov, presented Ian Nepomniachtchi with the famous chess set of precious wood species known as Invincible. The present to the Russian grandmaster came from the many-time world champion Anatoly Karpov and Andrey Simanovsky.
 
Ian Nepomniachtchi’s sponsors are PhosAgro, Sima-land, Marathon Group, Nornickel, and Chess.com.
 
Official website

 
Pictures by Vladimir Barsky, Eteri Kublashvili, and Dmitry Shumilov