Updated on
Summary The last time Moscow hosted the championship was in 1985 when Anatoly Karpov and Harry Kasparov fought for the title.
The official 2012 FIDE World Chess Championship between the reigning champion Viswanathan Anand of India and his challenger Boris Gelfand has started in Moscow.The last time Moscow hosted the World Championship was in 1985 when Anatoly Karpov and Harry Kasparov fought for the title. The match between the two was described as the “Match of the century”. The ongoing match is a unique one because it is being held at a leading museum in the world, says FIFA President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.“The Russian Chess Association offered the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow to host the match. It offered the largest prize fund and this very interesting location. Chess is a combination of culture and sports. In view of this, we decided to hold the match at the Tretyakov Gallery. This will draw attention to chess as well as the world famous paintings in the museum,” Kirsan Ilyumzhinov said.The organizers of the match assessed the technical capabilities of the museum and concluded that it is an ideal place for the event, says general director of the museum, Irina Lebedeva.“The world champion and the challenger visited the museum and went from one hall to another with acute fascination and did not want to leave the gallery. We understood that this would be a significant, effective and interesting event,” Irina Lebedeva said.The Grandmasters will have to play 12 matches under classical control. Should the match be tied 6-6, tie breaks will occur, first employing rapid games, and then blitz games. These matches will be held up to ten times if one of the players fails to win. In the case of 10 matches ending in a draw, a final match will be held where the white figures will get five minutes, while the blacks will only get four minutes. But the white figures must win. In case of a draw, blacks will win the match.The matches start 3 pm Moscow time, and the entrance is free. The game will be broadcast live with commentaries in Russian and English languages. The prize fund is 2.55 million U.S. dollars. The winner will get 60 percent of this sum and the loser will get the rest. Viswanathan Anand started the first match on May 11 with white figures.
