On the evening of July 10, President FIDE and the Twelve World Champion Anatoly Karpov arrived to the free economic zone of Bandar-e Anzali on the Caspian Sea coast of Iran. They were the guests of honour at the opening of the first Star Cup.The opening ceremony of the Cup, where Ilyumzhinov has delivered his speech, was held in the newly built centre of international exhibitions and congresses.
After the official part, the guests planted trees in the city park, where the chess sets were put on the ground and tables.
Afterwards, the blitz tournament, attended by the head of FIDE and the head of the free zone of Dr Mansouri, was held resulting in the first round in a draw by the Russian Grandmaster Alexey Dreev.
By the way, Bandar-e Anzali management intends to apply for participation in the tender for the venue of the World Chess Olympiad 2022.
