English Chess Forum

Mick Norris wrote:Wall Street Journal

Official announcement on the worldchess.com site:
http://worldchess.com/2016/02/29/world- ... york-city/

Thanks for that, Tim

The sponsors of the match have not been announced, but include a half dozen companies.

You would think, in order to maximise publicity, that they would have been announced and name checked on this - unless they haven't yet been signed up?

Anyone know anything regarding an update on the match in November? A venue for example? We're less than 20 weeks away from the start and the "World Chess" site is silent.... http://worldchess.com/nyc2016/

I imagine that unlike their predecessors, they won't be playing in the world trade center.

Chris Rice wrote:Anyone know anything regarding an update on the match in November? A venue for example? We're less than 20 weeks away from the start and the "World Chess" site is silent.... http://worldchess.com/nyc2016/

There appears to be some sceptism about it being played in US but I guess we'll have to wait for confirmation from FIDE/Agon.

Looks like you you could be right on the mark there Loz. Just seen on Twitter "Anywhere but the USA!" says Karjakin, re: Carlsen match venue. Shambles. https://twitter.com/ChessNewsVK/status/ ... 8510240768

Chris Rice wrote: "Anywhere but the USA!" says Karjakin, re: Carlsen match venue.

The source appears this interview with a Norwegian newspaper.

http://www.dagbladet.no/sport/carlsens- ... a/60323325

Also

http://www.dagbladet.no/sport/vm-arrang ... t/60323523

On reading the above, I emailed Andrew Murray-Watson, AGON's Communications Director, who posted on this forum a few months ago in response to criticisms of the broadcasts from the Moscow candidates, and asked for his comments.

Andrew sent me this response:
"The match is to take place in New York. There is zero chance it will take place anywhere other than New York. An announcement on the specific venue will be made in the next two to three weeks. Details of sponsors will also be announced shortly."

I then received a further message from Ilya Merenzon, AGON's chief executive:

"I wanted to add that we are in touch with both players and FIDE and keeping them informed (they are offline of course during the tournaments). For the first time in many years we at bringing the championship to the US audience and close to sponsors and partners that are a perfect fit for chess. As Andrew mentioned, we are announcing details soon so that people can book hotels and plan their trips if they plan to come and watch what is likely to be an epic match.

The match is in New York, and it's an amazing location given that it's a media hub, a city where chess is a major sport and also home of Wall Street."

So AGON are sticking to their guns....

Hi everyone
Just to add to Leonard's post, I appreciate that there is a degree of doubt about New York being the venue for the championship match. But all I can say is that it is definitely happening in New York and we will make an announcement in the next two to three weeks. We have some incredibly exciting plans for the Championship match and I know that everyone is keen to hear as much detail as possible as quickly as possible. So as soon as we are ready to announce details, we will do so at the earliest possible moment.

So, why the delay?

Andrew Murray-Watson wrote: We have some incredibly exciting plans for the Championship match

That's the problem, it is their credibility that is in question.

Andrew Murray-Watson wrote:But all I can say is that it is definitely happening in New York and we will make an announcement in the next two to three weeks.

Three weeks time is just after the end of the British Championships.

Roger de Coverly wrote:Three weeks time is just after the end of the British Championships.

I think that a more relevant point is that it is conveniently prior to the FIDE Congress in Baku.

This reminds me of the ECF's ill-fated Chess for Schools project. For some years there invariably seemed to be an "incredibly exciting" announcement about the project during the week preceding an ECF Council Meeting.

Leonard Barden quoting Andrew Murray-Watson wrote: "The match is to take place in New York. There is zero chance it will take place anywhere other than New York.

When I used to go to football games every week, every so often there'd be poor weather on the day and I'd ring up the club and ask if the match was on.

Inevitably, I'd be told "yes, the match is definitely on".

Not unusually, on arriving at the ground, I'd find the game had in fact been postponed. On enquiring as to how this squared with the information I'd previously been given, I'd inevitably be told, "well, it was definitely on when you called".