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Monday, March 18, 2013
Studio Anne Carlton Unveils 2013 World Championship Chess Set
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
Studio Anne Carlton unveiled the 2013 World Chess Championship Chess Set on Thursday, March 14th. The new set celebrates the launch of this year's chess championship that kicked off Friday, March 15th at the London Candidates tournament. The Yorkshire based company was appointed by Agon, organisers and rights holders of the World Chess Championship Cycle, to work alongside designer Daniel Weil to produce a contemporary set for 2013.
Michael Lee, Managing director of Studio Anne Carlton, said: "Thanks to Agon, World Chess is on the cusp of a new era, set to reignite global audiences and inspire a new generation.
"The Championship Chess Set is the flagship product that is intended to be used in all Championship events and Daniel Weil is a true grand master when it comes to design.
"Studio Anne Carlton is delighted to have been appointed the official manufacturer and we are already working with Daniel to extend the range."
Hand-crafted in natural and ebonised boxwood, The World Chess championship Chess Set retails at £199.99. The 50cm World Chess Championship rosewood and maple chessboard retails at £99.95.
CNN Chess Video on Andrew Paulson, World Chess Rebranding
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Here is a nice CNN report on chess and how US entrepreneur Andrew Paulson is trying to rebrand it. You can read previous Chess Blog posts on Andrew Paulson at this link.
World Chess: Chris King is Agon Commercial Director
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Chris King, the co-founder of executive search firm Sports Recruitment International, has been appointed commercial director of Agon Ltd, the rights-holder of the World Chess Championships. King, who will retain a board position and advisory role at Sports Recruitment International, will work on securing sponsors and distribution rights for the next World Chess Championships cycle which begins next March. King will report to Agon chief executive and founder Andrew Paulson. “I’ve seen many opportunities in the sports and entertainment sector in the last 11 years, but this was just too good an opportunity to pass up," King said in a statement.
“I am enormously excited to work with Andrew and his focused team to help establish World Chess as a commercial proposition that can and should be in the same commercial league as poker and golf, for example.”
The Agon statement added that the organisation is already negotiating with potential partners in the technology, media, financial and industrial fields.
Agon has the rights to the World Chess Championships for the next 11 years in a deal struck with the World Chess Federation in February. According to King, there is no rival event and chess is currently an untapped sponsorship opportunity, though brands such as IBM and Intel have associated themselves with the game in the past on one-off occasions.
King said: "This is the first time a cycle has been put together and the first time we can give a marketing partner commitment and consistency."
The cycle consists of nine events that take place during a two-year period. It will start with a tournament in London later this month and includes events in Tashkent, Madrid, Paris and Berlin.
In London in March 2013 there will be a more important tournament, in which the world’s top players compete for the right to take on the reigning World Chess champion, India’s Viswanathan Anand, in the World Championship Match in November 2013.
Agon has an outline agreement with an undisclosed international broadcaster, which King described as "well-known in the UK and genuinely global", to broadcast highlights of games, which can last between three and six hours.
GM Robert Fontaine joins Agon as chief of staff to Andrew Paulson
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
International chess Grandmaster Robert Fontaine has joined Agon Limited, the rights holder to the World Chess Championship cycle, as chief of staff to founder and chief executive Andrew Paulson.
Mr Fontaine, the six-times under-20 youth champion for France, becomes a principal aide as Mr Paulson implements his strategy to organise and commercialise the ongoing World Chess Championship cycles, starting with the opening Grand Prix for the 2012/2013 cycle at Simpson’s-in-the-Strand in London in September. Mr Fontaine has won a number of international tournaments over his playing career, including Las Vegas in 2006, Stockholm in 2007 and Paleohora in 2009. He became a Grandmaster in 2002 and a member of the Olympiad chess team in 2004.
He is also known as a presenter for Europe-Echecs, where he interviewed champion players and politicians for video reportage on the world’s leading chess events.
Mr Fontaine said: “I heard about Andrew’s plans to restore chess to its rightful place as a leading global entertainment form, and was extremely interested to see how I could bring my experience to help him realise his ambitions. What Andrew is proposing can only benefit the international chess community through raising the profile of the game and opening up chess to a new generation of players.”
Mr Paulson, the chief executive of Agon, said: “Robert is incredibly well-connected in the chess world, and his experience of interviewing top-ranking Grandmasters and his deep understanding of the complexities of the game will be invaluable as we build up to the start of the next iteration of the world’s most compelling sport.”
On semi-retiring from competitive chess in 2005, Mr Fontaine became a professional chess coach as managing director of the chess club Cannes-Echecs, where he managed a team of ten teaching chess in schools to 4,500 children.
He also introduced chess to the employees of French electricity and gas companies by working with CCAS, the energy industry social fund, to help co-ordinate a scheme that has taught chess to 45,000 people since 2007.
Chess is the Sleeping Giant of the World in Popularity, Sponsorship!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Here is the latest press release from Agon. Chess has been under the radar for the last 40 years since Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky fought the Cold War for us in Reykjavik. But outside the glare of the media spotlight, chess players now make up one of the largest communities in the world: 605 million adults play chess regularly – a number comparable to regular users of Facebook.
Andrew Paulson
According to authoritative polling organization YouGov, across varied national demographic profiles (US, UK, Germany, Russia, India), a surprisingly stable 70% of the adult population has played chess at some point during their lives. Even if they played chess as children but left it behind as they grew up, they still retain a deep admiration for the game.
Across the board, chess players and non-players alike rank chess significantly higher than any other game or sport for attributes such as intelligence, sophistication, strategy, perfection and complexity, confirming top branding agency Pentagram’s view that: “Chess is about Thinking and Winning.”
London's Simpson's-in-the-Strand to Host Chess Grand Prix
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Agon, the company that had bagged the commercial rights to the World Chess Championships by FIDE has announced that Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, London would be the venue for the first Grand Prix chess event between September 20 and October 3 with a prize fund of 240,000 euros.
Andrew Paulson, the Chief Executive and Founder of Agon, said: “I am delighted to confirm that Simpson’s-in-the-Strand will be the venue for the September Grand Prix. As possibly the best-known chess venue in the world, it is the perfect place to kick off the new Championship cycle. However, the requirement to transfer the event to London from Chelyabinsk at this relatively late stage means that it will be a smaller, invite-only event.
“Agon’s stewardship of the World Chess Championships really only starts with the London Candidates tournament in March 2013, but I felt compelled to support FIDE when it became apparent that Chelyabinsk wasn’t going to work. ”
CJ de Mooi, the President of the English Chess Federation (ECF), said: “I am delighted to welcome the Agon Chess Grand Prix to London in our Olympic year. The ECF looks forward to a long partnership with Agon, an innovative company that has proven itself on both the world stage and the chess board.”
Simpson’s originally opened in 1828 as a chess club and coffee house and soon became known as the “home of chess” after attracting the patronage of such chess luminaries as Howard Staunton – the first English world chess champion.
Raymond Keene OBE, chess columnist for The Times newspaper and The Spectator magazine and one of the world’s most respected commentators on the sport, said: “I am relishing the return of the World Chess Championships to Simpson’s. It is the home of the immortal game and the Grand Prix in September represents the start of a long journey to restore chess to its rightful place in the public imagination after decades in the media wilderness.”
The announcement of Simpson’s as a venue is indicative of Agon’s ambitions for the World Chess Championships.
Agon will be bringing the World Chess Championships to European capital cities, as part of its commitment to bring a sustainable business model to the sport.
Mr Paulson added: “We will shortly be announcing a number of illustrious and historic venues for the World Chess Championship cycle. We are also in discussions with a number of global companies that want to be associated with the pinnacle of this wonderful game.”
In 2013, the Championship cycle will be hosted by London, Lisbon, Madrid, Berlin, Paris and Tromsø.
Chess Grand Prix 2012/13: Fide, Agon Announce New List
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
FIDE and AGON have announced a new list of participants for the Chess Grand Prix cycle with Vugar Gashimov replacing Gata Kamsky. The Chess Blog post of yesterday's announcement is here.
Announcement on FIDE Grand Prix Series 2012/13 The list of players who will participate in the cycle over the next two years is as follows :
1. From World Championship Match 2012 GM Boris Gelfand (ISR)
2. From World Cup 2011 GM Peter Svidler (RUS) GM Alexander Grischuk (RUS) GM Vasily Ivanchuk (UKR) GM Ruslan Ponomariov (UKR)
Making Chess Glamorous, Exciting: The Guardian on Andrew Paulson
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The Guardian report on Andrew Paulson who is gearing up to give chess a jazz new look makes an interesting read. Here is an excerpt.
Chess impresario hopes to bring back the Fischer v Spassky glory days
Andrew Paulson, a 54-year-old American businessman who has spent most of the past 15 years in Russia, is committed to reversing this decline. In a remarkable financial coup, he has persuaded Fide, the international governing body of chess, to hand him the media and marketing rights to the world championship for the next 10 years.
Suddenly, this chess enthusiast who admits to being a "patzer" – a player of no great ability – has become the game's potential king. "The characters in the chess world are fascinating," he says at Simpson's in the Strand, a famous chess coffee house in the 19th century and a possible venue for a new grand prix tournament to be staged in London next year. "When I first dove into the chess world, I felt incredibly comfortable with these people. It was like being back in college. These were passionate, eccentric, but deeply committed. They see themselves as the keepers of the holy grail."
Paulson, who ran publishing businesses in Russia and remains a director of an internet company based in Moscow, did not set out to become a major player in the chess world. He met Fide's controversial president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, by chance last September, and says he immediately realised chess had huge untapped commercial potential.
How did he convince Fide to let him take over marketing of the game? "Their fundamental error was that they were trying to get sponsors for [single] events. I said to them, 'No. If you give me all of the events connected to the world championship, I can reconceive this as a whole.' Then we're not selling an event, we're selling chess. We're selling chess as an idea, as a symbol, as a metaphor."
His company, Agon, is about to release the results of a YouGov poll on chess in the US which he says proves how extensive is the interest in the game. Fourteen per cent of adults play at least once a year; and the percentage is higher if you add the number of children playing regularly. Even more striking is the fact that two-thirds of American adults have played chess at some point in their lives.
Design group Pentagram is developing a new visual identity for the world championship, using the tagline "The best mind wins", and Paulson has commissioned a short film drawing on footage from the Fischer-Spassky match and from movies which have featured chess, notably From Russia with Love. He wants chess to be seen not as some nerdy pastime, but as central to the culture of both east and west.
Paulson claims he will shortly be unveiling long-term sponsorship deals with half a dozen companies in different sectors. They will provide the €6m (£4.8m) a year it will cost to finance the new biennial world championship series, which will incorporate grand prix events in leading cities, a world cup, a candidates tournament between the top eight players emerging from those earlier competitions, and then an extended title match between the challenger and the holder.
Paulson is allowed to choose one wildcard entry to the candidates tournament, and it is a testimony to the fact he intends to reintroduce some showmanship into chess that he has already sounded out Kasparov for what would be a sensational comeback. Kasparov, who will be 50 next year, has so far rejected the idea, but Paulson hopes he can be persuaded to change his mind.
As his play in exhibition matches shows, he remains a formidable opponent, and his return to competitive chess would generate widespread interest. "I see one of my goals as making chess a spectator sport," says Paulson. "You can make it interactive now. There are so many resources that can be brought to bear to make the watching of a chess event fun for individuals and for groups."
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
FIDE and AGON have announced the full details of the new Chess Grand Prix cycle 2012/2013. Each player will be assigned to play in four of the six cities and his best three results will be accumulated for his overall ranking at the end of the series. The top two overall placed in the Grand Prix will qualify for the Candidates event in 2014.
From the Regulations, the 18 players qualifying to participate in the series are as follows :
Art. 3.1 Current World Champion and Challenger from 2012 World Championship match Viswanathan Anand (IND) Boris Gelfand (ISR)
3.2 World Cup Peter Svidler (RUS) Alexander Grischuk (RUS) Vassily Ivanchuk (UKR) Ruslan Ponomariov (UKR)
3.3 FIDE President Nominees. The FIDE President may nominate one player who must be rated at least 2700 as per the January 2012 rating list.
3.4 Organiser Nominees. Six players may be nominated by AGON and must be rated not less than 2700 in the January 2012 rating list or have been a former World Chess Champion.
3.5 Rating (five players plus reserves as may be required)
Name Title Country Jan-12 Jul-11 Jan+Jul Avg - Carlsen, Magnus GM NOR 2835 2821 2828.0 - Aronian, Levon GM ARM 2805 2805 2805.0 - Kramnik, Vladimir GM RUS 2801 2781 2791.0 - Karjakin, Sergey GM RUS 2769 2788 2778.5 - Topalov, Veselin GM BUL 2770 2768 2769.0 - Nakamura, Hikaru GM USA 2759 2770 2764.5 1st Reserve - Gashimov, Vugar GM AZE 2761 2760 2760.5 2nd Reserve - Radjabov, Teimour GM AZE 2773 2744 2758.5 3rd Reserve - Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar GM AZE 2747 2765 2756.0 4th Reserve - Kamsky, Gata GM USA 2732 2741 2736.5 5th Reserve - Jakovenko, Dmitry GM RUS 2729 2736 2732.5 - Vitiugov, Nikita GM RUS 2726 2733 2729.5 - Morozevich, Alexander GM RUS 2763 2694 2728.5 - Wang, Hao GM CHN 2733 2718 2725.5 - Dominguez Perez, Leinier GM CUB 2730 2719 2724.5 - Tomashevsky, Evgeny GM RUS 2740 2707 2723.5 - Caruana, Fabiano GM ITA 2736 2711 2723.5 - Nepomniachtchi, Ian GM RUS 2735 2711 2723.0 - Almasi, Zoltan GM HUN 2717 2726 2721.5 - Adams, Michael GM ENG 2724 2715 2719.5
3.6 Replacements. Any replacement for the initial selection, will be selected on the basis of Article 3.5 which takes into account the average rating and greater number of games, if of equal rating.
All the players qualified above (including the five reserves) must download and sign the Players Agreement and return it by email to the Fide office in Athens, Greece. The six cities and dates for the Grand Prix series are:
2012 Grand Prix Chelyabinsk September 19 – October 3 Grand Prix Tashkent November 21 – December 4
2013 Grand Prix Lisbon April 10 – April 24 Grand Prix Madrid May 22 – June 4 Grand Prix Berlin July 3 – July 17 Grand Prix Paris September 18 – October 2
Players must also submit, along with their signed agreement, the six cities ranked in order or preference of participation. FIDE and AGON will consider the players’ requests and allocate the players to the various tournaments taking into consideration the players’ preferences, average rating and other parameters.
FIDE postpones London Candidates, announces new World Chess Championship Cycles
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Here is the latest announcement about a new World Chess Championship cycle datelined Athens, Greece. FIDE and partner AGON had announced their calendar a fortnight back. They have now revised it on the basis of feedback from players and organisers. The revised calendar now schedules the World Chess Candidates that were to take place in London this year to March 13 – March 31, 2013. The event would still take place in London.
2012 Championship Match Moscow May 10 – May 30 Olympiad Istanbul August 27 – September 10 Grand Prix Chelyabinsk September 19 – October 3 Grand Prix Tashkent November 21 – December 4
2013 Candidates London March 13 – March 31 Grand Prix Lisbon April 10 – April 24 Grand Prix Madrid May 22 – June 4 Grand Prix Berlin July 3 – July 17 World Cup Tromsø August 10 – September 5 Grand Prix Paris September 18 – October 2 Championship Match TBD November 6 – November 26
2014 Candidates TBD March 12 – March 30 Grand Prix TBD May 14 – May 28 Grand Prix TBD July 2 – July 16 Olympiad Tromsø August 1 – August 14 Grand Prix TBD September 10 – September 24 Championship Match TBD November 5 – November 25
2015 Grand Prix TBD May 13 – May 27 Grand Prix TBD July 1 – July 15 World Cup TBD August or November Grand Prix TBD September 9 – September 23
2016 Candidates TBD March 9 – March 28 Grand Prix TBD May 11 – May 25 Grand Prix TBD July 6 – July 20 Olympiad TBD August or September or November Grand Prix TBD August or September or November Championship Match TBD August or September or November
FIDE Announces Draft Dates for World Chess Championship Cycles
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Here is the latest chess press release from Fide. They have announced the draft dates for the next World Chess Championship Cycle.
Athens – March 6, 2012 – FIDE, after consultations with AGON, its new partner for organizing the World Chess Championship Cycle, is pleased to announce a draft calendar of event dates for the next two cycles over four years. Once finalised, FIDE and AGON intend to retain the 2014-15 competition schedule as the model for the indefinite future.
2012 Championship Moscow May 10 – May 30 Olympiad Istanbul August 27 – September 10 Grand Prix Chelyabinsk September 19 – October 3 Candidates London October 24 – November 12 Grand Prix Tashkent November 21 - Dec 4
2013 Grand Prix Lisbon April 10 – April 24 Grand Prix Madrid May 22 – June 4 Grand Prix Berlin July 3 – July 17 World Cup Tromsø, Norway August 10 – September 5 Grand Prix Paris September 18 – October 2 Championship TBD October – November, TBD
2014 Grand Prix TBD May 14 – May 28 Grand Prix TBD July 2 – July 16 Olympiad Tromsø, Norway August 1 – August 14 Grand Prix TBD September 10 – September 24 Candidates TBD November 5 – November 24
2015 Grand Prix TBD May 13 – May 27 Grand Prix TBD July 1 – July 15 World Cup TBD August Grand Prix TBD September 9 – September 23 Championship TBD November 4 – November 25
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, President of FIDE, said, “I am pleased finally to be able to bring a grand European Tour to our European colleagues! And, even more important, players and fans are already excited and energised.”
Andrew Paulson, Director of AGON, said, “We are glad to be bringing a series of World Chess events to the capitals of Europe. In the future we will be progressing continent by continent, bringing great competitions to the world’s capitals in a regular and predictable schedule.”
Candidates Chess Tournament 2012 to take place in London this October
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
According to the latest chess update from Fide, the Candidates Chess Tournament will take place in London from October 24 - November 12, 2012. According to a news datelined Athens/Moscow, Agon, the World Chess Federation's new partner for organising the World Chess Championship Cycle, has announced these dates and the venue.
Andrew Paulson, General Director of AGON, said, “I am glad to be bringing one of the main Chess events to London and hope that both players and spectators will enjoy it.” From Alexandra Kosteniuk's www.chessblog.com Also see her personal blog at www.chessqueen.com
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