FIDE Candidates Tournament Officially Opened In Absence Of Participants

The FIDE Candidates Tournament was officially opened on Monday evening at the Ekaterinburg Expo Congress Center in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The participants of the tournament did not attend, in order to avoid exposure to the more than a thousand attendees.

Attended by over a thousand guests fearless of coronavirus contamination, the opening ceremony was hosted by the renowned Russian film actress Alena Babenko and sports commentator Viktor Gusev. Speakers included the governor of the Sverdlovsk region Evgeny Kuyvashev, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, and the 12th World Champion Anatoly Karpov.

The participants were not present at the opening of the tournament, which is one of the few sports events in the world that were not canceled due to the coronavirus this month. The topic that dominates the news couldn't be ignored on this evening either. Dvorkovich said:

"I would like to note that in terms of medical safety measures, the tournament organizing committee fully follows the recommendations of the World Health Organization, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Rospotrebnadzor [the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing - PD] and fulfills all the prescribed requirements."

Earlier, Chess.com reported that everyone involved in the tournament—players, seconds, arbiters, organizers, and officials—are being medically checked twice per day. On top of that, everyone was tested for the coronavirus upon arrival in the official hotel and will be tested again on day 10.

Another health and safety measure is that spectators won't be allowed in the playing hall, and all additional mass events such as side tournaments and simuls have been canceled. Those measures are difficult to rhyme with the big crowd that gathered at the opening ceremony.

This photo by @LennartOotes was briefly available for download but then removed from the @FIDE_chess Flickr account. FIDE has received criticism for allowing a big crowd (without players) at the #FIDECandidates opening ceremony in spite of worldwide advice for social distancing. pic.twitter.com/K0yOQLWtBI

— ChesscomNews (@ChesscomNews) March 17, 2020

The official part of the ceremony was followed by a concert by the famous Russian violist and conductor Yuri Bashmet and his "Moscow Soloists" Chamber Orchestra. The concert featured other renowned Russian classical music artists such as Bolshoi Theatre soloist Alina Yarovaya and opera singer Vasily Gerello. The music event also included a performance of the top stars of the Bolshoi Theatre.

Somewhat ironically, it was during the opening ceremony that phones of some attendees started buzzing as the Russian Ministry of Sports canceled all international sports competitions in Russia until further notice. A FIDE source soon confirmed that the Candidates Tournament is not affected by the measure.

Earlier in the day, a press conference for the local media was held at the Sverdlovsk Journalists' Union. The building is located along the Iset river, across the Hyatt Regency (the tournament venue) and a stone's throw away from the famous Church of All Saints, built on the location where Tsar Nicholas II and his family were shot by the Bolsheviks in July 1918.

Dvorkovich and Karpov were prominent speakers at the press conference, and they were joined by one of the Russian participants, GM Kirill Alekseenko.

Dvorkovich pointed out that the tournament might get more exposure than in normal times: "This is a big event not just for the chess world but, possibly, for the whole sporting community since almost all international competitions have been canceled due to the spread of the coronavirus."

Wildcard Alekseenko put smiles on the faces of the media as he not only expressed his gratitude for being invited, but also stated that he is playing the tournament to win it: "Only the first place gives a chance to challenge Magnus Carlsen."

The Candidates Tournament has a prize fund of 500,00 euros ($557.720,00). Eight players will fight for a chance to play World Champion Carlsen at the World Chess Championship later in the year.

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