The official closing ceremony concluded the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Khanty-Mansiysk today. The Ugra Governor Natalia Komarova and the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov awarded the winner and the runner-ups.

The most precious prize for Vishy Anand is, of course, an opportunity to play another championship match. However, he was quite happy to receive other awards, too.

“For a few weeks Ugra lived with high level chess. The candidates’ names were all over the global media. I want to thank the players and the arbiters for their excellent work. I also want to remind you the Indian wisdom: happiness always finds its way to the strong-willed. You are always welcome in Ugra, and we are always very supportive for you”, said the Ugra Governor Natalia Komarova in her closing ceremony speech.

The FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov mentioned that in terms of chess development Ugra is a model not only for other Russian regions, but for many countries across the world. “The tournament was organized at the highest level. Unhappy faces show up quite often at such events, but not here. We never heard a single word of criticism!”

The runner-ups were also awarded at the ceremony. Sergey Karjakin finished second after a big fight, and Vladimir Kramnik took the third place. All three players received our traditional gifts – Siberian fur hats.

“Regarding the level of tournament organization, I cannot think of any problems. We lived nearby, the playing hall was excellent. I am biased, of course, but everything was just perfect, really”, said Vishy Anand.

Peter Svidler likes coming to Khanty-Mansiysk a lot. “The only thing I can complain about is the weather. We could discuss that, but it would be ridiculous. Apart from the temperature jumps, I never had any other issues here. Khanty-Mansiysk always does its job perfectly”, stated the grandmaster.

The closing ceremony was followed by the match between the tournament winner Vishy Anand and the 12-year-old student of the Ugra Chess Academy Dmitry Chumak. The sponsor – ASUS company – gave the winner their own price – a powerful laptop computer.

The Candidates Tournament in Khanty-Mansiysk created a buzz on the internet. The official website recorded about a million visitors. The live broadcast was followed by 20,000 viewers every day, most frequently by chess enthusiasts from USA, Germany, and India.

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