WORLD CHESS, a registered trademark of Agon Limited, the company that owns the commercial rights for the World Chess Championship, is unveiling a new logo design for the upcoming Candidates tournament in Moscow. The winner of that tournament, which will be held in March in Moscow’s historic Central Telegraph building, will become the challenger for the World Championship match in November in the United States.
Eight of the world’s best players will be competing in the Candidates tournament, which runs from March 11 to 29 and has a prize fund of 420,000 euros. Tashir Group, Russia’s largest diversified industrial holding company, is a general partner of the tournament and the Russian Chess Federation is also a major supporter. The Tournament will open on March 10 with a VIP gala at Moscow’s Pashkov House. Serzh Sargsyan, the President of Armenia, will be the guest of honor at the event. Beluga Noble Russian Vodka is the program partner.
The new logo for the tournament features the work of Maxim Spivakov, a Moscow-based artist, and was designed by the Russian studio Textandpictures to create a strong visual image for the tournament. The logo shows the evolving link between the idea of chess and human nature, and vice-versa.
Mr. Spivakov previously collaborated with WORLD CHESS for the 2015 World Chess Rapid and Blitz Championships in Berlin, creating another stunning ‘Ouroboros’ image, used as the logo of those events.
The new logo is part of Agon’s efforts to update and modernize the look and feel of a game that is almost 1,500 years old and is a well-established part of world culture.
“Chess is a game full of traditions, not unlike religion. And it is deeply embedded into our everyday life. Chess patterns and chess tables and sets are present in almost all apartments or offices. So design of the chess championship is phenomenally important — it stays in the books forever and will be a collectors’ item immediately after the tournament is over. We are really excited to introduce bold design ideas in the old sport and foster dialog over it”, said Ilya Merenzon, CEO of Agon.
Previously, Agon had collaborated with the English design studio Pentagram to create new chess sets that are used in all its events and to redefine visual guidelines for the game.
The DI Telegraph, a multifunctional space in the Central Telegraph building, will be the actual venue for the tournament. The landmark Central Telegraph building, which was built in 1927 and designed by Ivan Rerberg, is the digital hub of Moscow and is home to many of Russia’s high-tech companies. The new logo, which is a bridge between an ancient game and the modern communications companies that make the Central Telegraph their home, will be featured prominently in the breathtaking DI Telegraph space and on all marketing and promotional materials for the tournament.
Merenzon said, “Chess continues its tour of important centers for design. The World Rapid and Blitz Championships were in Berlin in October, the Candidates are coming to Moscow in March, and the World Championship will be in New York or San Francisco in November. In each place, we are thrilled to join forces with leading architects and designers to transform chess tournaments into fashionable and stylish events. This shows that chess is not just a sport for millions of its fans all over the world, it has cultural interest and importance as well”.
There will be a closing and award ceremony for the tournament on March 29.
You can download the full press-release text here (PDF).
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