Welcoming the participants and fans of the championship, Natalia Komarova said: "The fascinating struggle was daily watched by two Khanty-Mansiysks: the one that is around you, and the internet Khanty-Mansiysk, because over 50 thousand people watched the tournament online every day. Thus, the chess borders are widening because the large number of people gets involved in this full of interesting events game. "
In his turn, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov noted the high level of the organization and management of the competition in Yugra.
"On behalf of the many millions of chess fans and the FIDE Presidential Board, uniting today 186 countries of the world, I would like to once again thank Natalya Komarova and the Government of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Region for the perfectly organized tournament. Yugra has become a world centre of the development and popularization of chess for all the chess fans, while Khanty-Mansiysk is the capital of world chess. All the world's major chess events have been held here: the Congress of FIDE, the Chess Olympiad and the World Cup. We are very pleased that chess is being developed here and by the programme ‘Chess in Schools’. One might say that the only major chess academy is in Khanty-Mansiysk. The future champions are brought up here”, said the head of FIDE.
It is worth to note that about 30 official chess tournaments of the different levels are held in Yugra annually on the initiative of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and with the active support of the regional head. Fourteen chess competitions, including the Youth World Cup, the Women finale of the Russian Cup and the Youth World Championship, which will bring together the players from over 50 countries, will be held in the Khanty-Mansiysk region before the end of this year.