National Carpet Museum holds Battle of Champions in Rapid and Blitz

The Battle of Champions in Rapid and Blitz has started in the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum.

First, a video dedicated to carpet art was shown to the attendees.

Speaking at the event, the director of the National Carpet Museum Amina Malikova, said that it was no coincidence that this place was chosen for the tournament:

"This is the first time in the history of our museum that an international chess tournament is being held. We know that chess has always been considered an indicator of high intelligence. I hope that the carpets that you see here will have a positive impact on our chess players."

Later, a video dedicated to the tournament was shown.

President of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation Mahir Mammadov, wished the chess players success. He assessed the regular holding of such tournaments as a positive moment.

In his speech, the President of the International Chess Federation Arkady Dvorkovich spoke about the unity of culture and sport:

"We see the unity of chess and culture in one place. Dear chess players, I believe that you will enjoy playing here, and you will also become a source of inspiration for artists."

After that, the President of FIDE and the President of the Turkish Chess Federation Fethi Apaydin were presented with memorable gifts.

The tournament draw took place later. In the competition, the champion of Azerbaijan Rauf Mammadov will compete with the FIDE world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan), and the winner of the women's national championship Gunay Mammadzade will compete with the world and European champion Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria).

The winner of the "Battle of Champions" will be determined by the total number of rapid and blitz tournaments.

The chess tournament will run until April 30.