On 8/24/2016, the Russian Chess Federation announced that a press conference set for 8/30/2016 has been announced by Agon in concert with FIDE and the Russian company PhosAgro. Will PhosAgro be announced as a major sponsor of the World Chess Championship scheduled to be held in NYC this November. We’ll know for certain on the 30th. What then is PhosAgro?
PhosAgro is a Moscow based company with reportedly close ties to the president of the Russian Chess Federation, Andrei Filatov. PhosAgro lists itself as a sponsor of the Russian Chess Federation. ar2012.phosagro.com/social-respo … rogrammes/ The first owner of PhosAgro was Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky, the formerly close ally of Vladimir Putin who had a falling out with Putin over the matter of Yukos Gas in Russia. In 2011 it was reported that Russian billionaire and London resident Andrey Grigoryevich Guryev owned 71% of PhosAgro. Vladimir Stefanovich Litvinenko, Putin’s former campaign manager is reported to be a 10% owner of PhosAgro. (The ownership interests of Guryev and Litvinenko were confirmed on the London Stock exchange in 2011 when PhosAgro was floated on the London Exchange)
Is this good for international Chess, or is it simply good for Russian Businessmen and their friends associated with FIDE and Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov? Agon’s reported links with off-shore corporations such as Chess Lane make one wonder whether this is in the best interests of Chess or whether or not chess is being drawn into the rather seedy Russian business world.
Interesting. That would not be consistent with other reports I have seen and heard about major sponsors and event funding. However, the details presented have been, well, vague.
Todo indica que los aficionados tendrán menos dificultad en comprender las profundas jugadas de Carlsen y Kariakin que las maquiavélicas componendas de quienes son responsables de que el torneo se juegue en una de las zonas más prestigiosas de Manhattan: el South Street Seaport, cerca de Wall Street. Quizá todo sea una sofisticada campaña de imagen orquestada o bendecida por el Kremlin. deportes.elpais.com/deportes/201 … 56514.html
This event has been announced for the Fulton Market Building. But that building is not yet open after a major renovation. The movie theatre there is announced to be open in early October…
I’ve suggested that if the venue isn’t available, they should move the match to the White Horse Tavern in the West Village and use the table that Dylan Thomas drank himself to death at.
It will be interesting to see how much mainstream media coverage will be given to the event. Electoral coverage even after the election will eat up most of the air time. Combine that with going into the heart of the football season, both college and NFL, the start of the NHL and NBA. Chess between two non-US citizens will be a quirky event covered by even quirkier reporters who will do the same cliché coverage that the media usually does. The only plus will be that it will be in NY so that the media will cover the celebrities who are interested in the chess goings on. One can just imagine chess news being covered in the morning by FoxNews and CNBC by their snarky talking heads.
Does anyone know who will handle tickets sales for the World Championship in NYC? Is there any schedule/deadline for these tickets to be made available?
I’m still hoping that Agon has to move the match to The White Horse Tavern where the ghost of Dylan Thomas(pictured here behind the WH bar) will be the unofficial head arbiter.
They do not appear to be encouraging viewing in person. They are trying to sell on-line subscriptions to this and other events. A point they are trying to sell is a virtual reality experience using Google cardboard glasses.
Does anyone know how to get tickets for this thing??? The website has had the same message “tickets will go on sale through ticketmaster soon”, words to that effect. They have put up a link to purchase an online-viewing of the match, but I want to see the real thing - LIVE!
Will there be no spectators there besides the press and VIP???
Based on what was reported in Baku at the FIDE GA the Agon plans are to have very limited in person viewing. The packages might well be the only on-site viewing. They do mention about tickets being on Ticketmaster but the Agon folks did not talk much about that option. As I understand it the VIP lounge is supposed to be the chess equivalent of a skybox or corporate suite. They are certainly trying to market it that way. I 'm not sure how much demand there will be for such a ticket - especially in the US.
They’re very much betting on the virtual package selling well and making them a lot of money. I have my doubts, but we’ll see. BTW, there would likely be more viewing space at the Whitehorse Tavern. The VIPs could be guaranteed seating at the bar…
Is the FIDE training session at the Marshall coordinated with the match times? A friend offered me an apt in Midtown during the match…but I think Allen is right that going to the site itself is not going to be much fun.
FIDE session ends 1:30 pm on Monday (11/14) and Tuesdays (11/15) and around 6:00 pm on Wednesday (11/16). While WC games starting time have not been announced yet, I do not expect it to start earlier than 2:00 pm.
If you already in Manhattan, I see no reason not to go to the site at least once and check “fun” or absence of it for yourself, rather than rely on what Allen thinks.
