THE PATH TO THE CHESS OLYMPIAD

Baku is preparing to host yet another important sports competition - on September 10 the Chess World Cup begins.

The event, which is one of the most important in the FIDE calendar, will continue until October 5. A total of 128 chess-players from 45 countries will come to the Azerbaijani capital, but only two finalists will receive the main prize - the chance to participate in a tournament of contestants for the world chess crown. Each match will consist of two games; if there is a tie, the winner will be determined by a tie-break. Only the final match will consist of four games. 

Azerbaijan will for the first time be represented at the World Cup by six chess-players - Sahriyar Mammad-yarov, Teymur Racabov, Rauf Mammadov, Eltac Safarli, Qadir Huseynov, and Vasif Durarbayli.

The ratings favourite for the tournament is Bulgarian chess-player, ex-world champion Veselin Topalov. In addition, ex-world champion Vladimir Kramnik and renowned masters such as Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Boris Gelfand, and others will also be coming to Baku. Armenia will be represented by four chess-players. Armenian national team leader Levon Aronyan spoke about his upcoming visit to Baku with the Russian press. "Unfortunately, we chess-players cannot help solve the conflict between our countries. But we can be witnesses as athletes, musicians, and other professionals go to Azerbaijan. I want to continue their journey, show my respect for our neighbour, and show my best game, so that local fans enjoy it," said Aronyan. 

FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov praised Baku's level of preparation for the  World Cup. "Holding chess tournaments has already become a tradition in Azerbaijan. Overall, Baku already has a world-wide reputation as a wonderful organizer of sports events. The first European Games are a brilliant example of this. This year we will see a synthesis of eastern hospitality and a dynamic business sphere, first-rate modern infrastructure and historical landmarks," said Ilyumzhinov. 

He noted that chess has played an important role in the historical context of Azerbaijan's development. "The game of Shatranj has been known here since the fifth century. The great Nizami wrote about it. And today the government is paying a lot of attention to chess. Last year Baku hosted the first tournament of the FIDE Grand Prix, and this year it became the host for the World Cup. It should not be forgotten that next year the Chess Olympiad. We can say with certainty that Azerbaijan occupies a special place in the world chess arena," said the FIDE head. 

Mahir Mammadov, the director of the operations committee for the World Cup and the Chess Olympiad, told R+ that Baku is completely prepared to host the major competition. "Azerbaijan is known for its chess traditions. The organizing committee did it all it could so that the World Cup went splendidly. The incredible organization for the first European Games heightened our feeling of responsibility even more. We want the participants in and guests of the World Cup to see first-rate organization. We are also planning live online broadcasts of the Cup's games. Spectators will also be given interesting commentaries of famous grandmasters in Azerbaijani, English, and Russian," said Mammadov.

Mammadov said that he does not see any clear favourites for the tournament: "Regulations allow each of the 128 players to move forward, although the ratings favourite remains Topalov. First of all we wish the Azerbaijani chess-players luck. A lot of responsibility rests on Teymur Racabov and Sahriyar Mammadyarov."

According to World Cup participant Rauf Mamedov, the tournament will give the Azerbaijani chess-players a unique chance. "Azerbaijan will for the first time be represented by six chess-players. We have to put our best foot forward. I think the World Cup never has favourites, because the regulations allow any chess-player to become the champion. In this way the ratings favourites don't always satisfy expectations," believes Mammadov.

He noted that this year he went through eighty games of classic chess: "At the World Cup I also want to play as many games as I can. It's hard to make predictions, but I will try to move forward as much as I can. This tournament is special for the leaders of the team, Sahriyar Mammadyarov and Teymur Racabov. The finalists will get the right to play at the tournament of contenders. In the past few years Azerbaijan has made it to this competition. I hope that this tradition continues this season," said Mammadov.

Participants in the tournament can, by the way, also significantly improve heir finances - the prize fund for the World Cup is 1.6 million dollars.