On July 1, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov arrived in Chengdu (China), where he visited the famous nursery of pandas and the Centre for Mind Sports, and also met with the Vice President of the Chinese Chess Association Ye Jiangchuan and the head of the municipal sports bureau Ms. Tan Xuejun.
After the meeting, during which they discussed the issues of development of chess, Ilyumzhinov held a press conference and was photographed with the participants of the tournament.
After that, the opening ceremony of the fourth stage of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix was held in Chengdu. The event attracted the attention of a large number of spectators, as it took place on the central pedestrian street of the city.
Further, the head of FIDE inspected the tournament hall and took part in the solemn reception, where he gave a welcome speech to the guests and the organizers of the Grand Prix.
