On 4-12 October 2024, Moscow hosted Stage 4 of the International Chess Champions League Ivi Grand Prix. KIAP Law Firm acted as one of the tournament organisers.
Backed by IVI online movie theatre, the Title Partner of the tournament, the organisers managed to bring together the roster that is worth the main tournament of the Moscow Open forum. The tournament started off with 46 chess players, including 12 grand masters and 7 international masters from 13 countries: Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Israel, USA, UK, Italy, Kazakhstan, Peru, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Tajikistan.
The opening ceremony held on 4 October in the Moscow Chess Club at Tverskoy Boulevard was a vivid and memorable event. The attendees included actors Ivan Dobronravov, Anton Khabarov, Mark Bogatyrev, Mikhail Troinik, Rostislav Bershauer, Elena Nikolaeva, Anna Kareva, Karina Khismatullina, and bloggers – Andrey Savochkin, Nikita Zaraz, Anna Samochatova. IVI CEO Nikolai Vasilkov, KIAP Law Firm Managing Partner Andrey Korelskiy, and Artem Akhmetov, Executive Director of the Moscow Chess Federation, all delivered their welcoming speeches.
A simultaneous play by Daniil Dubov, the rapid chess world champion, was the pinnacle event of the night. The Russian grand master held a simultaneous game on 10 boards versus the guest celebrities. Roman Shogdzhiev, a 9-year-old chess player, the champion and prizewinner at competitions around the world, in Asia, Europe, Russia and Moscow, helped the tournament participants to stand up against Daniil. Actor Anton Khabarov became the most uncrushable among the star members of the event.
The tournament took place on 5-12 October. From the very first tours, the participants plunged into a serious struggle. In the last tour Eldiyar Orozbaev and Rudik Makaryan, who stayed leaders until the finishing day, suffered losses – from Vladimir Zakhartsov and Pavel Ponkratov respectively, both representing Moscow. In the outcome, four chess players at once showed the best results at the finish (the score 7 out of 10).
After additional tiebreak indicators were calculated, the stand was as follows: Eldiyar Orozbaev (Kyrgyzstan) scooped the 1st place, Pavel Ponkratov (Moscow) finished 2nd, Andrey Gorovets (Belarus) won the 3rd place, and Vladimir Zakhartsov (Moscow) became the 4th. Aleksandra Dimitrova (Moscow) took and preserved the lead among women with the score of 4.5 out of 10. You can review all the results here.
The International League of Champions was founded a year ago to assist the chess players in meeting the criteria for getting qualified as candidates to international titles. In the tournament, its idea was implemented to the full extent: three participants managed to qualify for international titles. Eldiyar Orozbaev, FIDE master, got the score to become an international grand master, Marat Gilfanov and FIDE master Aleksandr Usov scored the points to become international masters.
Vladimir Shumilin, Supervisory Board Chairman of the Moscow Chess Federation, and Artem Akhmetov, MCF Executive Director, held the award ceremony at the tournament.
KIAP Law Firm is pleased to congratulate the winners and all participants on successful ending of the tournament! We would specifically like to thank IVI online movie theatre, the Title Partner and originator of the tournament, for its huge contribution into the development of chess sport in Russia. We thank you for cooperation and wish you professional success and new enticing projects!
