BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 24. The solemn closing ceremony of the World Chess Cup in Baku and the awarding of the winner and prize-winners of the tournament in the men's section took place, Trend reports.
At the beginning of the event, the State Anthem of Azerbaijan and the official anthem of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) were played. Further, a video dedicated to the World Chess Cup held in Baku was shown.
In his speech at the ceremony, Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan Farid Gayibov noted that the World Chess Cup in Baku was held at a high level.
"With great pride, today we are closing the World Chess Cup in Baku, which was organized at a high level. Azerbaijani chess player Nijat Abasov pleased everyone with his result at the tournament," he said.
Farid Gayibov expressed gratitude to all participants of the World Chess Cup and congratulated the winner and prize-winners of the tournament.
The Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan also thanked the leadership of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for their trust in holding the tournament in Azerbaijan.
The President of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation Mahir Mammadov stressed that he feels pride and joy from holding this tournament.
"The World Chess Cup in Baku will remain in the memory of participants and fans with unforgettable chess games and will evoke feelings of nostalgia. The tournament was in the center of attention of the chess community, attracted the attention of a record number of spectators, and became a real celebration of chess," he said.
The President of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation expressed gratitude to the FIDE President for his trust in holding the tournament, and gratitude to the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan for their support. He expressed hope that this cooperation will continue in the future.
Mahir Mammadov congratulated Magnus Carlsen on his victory and wished him further success.
Speaking about the participation of Azerbaijani chess player Nijat Abasov in the tournament, Mahir Mammadov noted that he was the first in history to take part in all eight rounds of the World Chess Cup.
President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Arkady Dvorkovich noted the high level of organization of the World Chess Cup in Baku.
"I express my gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for the opportunity to hold the World Chess Cup in Baku. The holding of the tournament in Azerbaijan will undoubtedly contribute to the development of chess in the country, and the success of Nijat Abasov is proof of this. Memories of it will remain in memory for a long time for all participants and spectators of the World Cup, and will give pleasant emotions," he stressed.
Then the winner and prize-winners of the World Chess Cup among men were awarded.
The gold medal and cup of the tournament were awarded to Magnus Carlsen (Norway), the silver medal was awarded to Rameshbabu Pragnanandha (India), the bronze medal was awarded to Fabiano Caruana (USA). It should be noted that the fourth place in the World Chess Cup was taken by Nijat Abasov.
Then the National Anthem of Norway was played.
The starting list of the World Chess Cup of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in Baku included 206 chess players in the open section and 103 in the women's section.
The World Chess Cup was held in Azerbaijan for the second time. For the first time, the 2024 Candidates Tournament and the 2024 Candidates Tournament will each feature the top three players from both the open and women's sections of the World Cup.
The FIDE World Cup 2023 games were broadcast on the official website of the competition in Azerbaijani and English.
The prize fund of the Cup is set at 2.5 million US dollars.
The Women's World Chess Cup in Baku ended on August 21, it was won by Alexandra Goryachkina (FIDE), Nurgul Salimova (Bulgaria) took the second place, Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) took the third place.
The Men's World Chess Cup ended on August 24, it was won by Magnus Carlsen (Norway), the second place was taken by Rameshbabu Pragnanandha (India), the third - Fabiano Caruana (USA).
The World Chess Cup was held at Marriott Boulevard in Baku.