The Champions Match, organized by FIDE and the Georgian Chess Federation, kicked off at the Legend Hotel in Batumi with a technical meeting and drawing of colours.
The competition is two six-game matches with classical time control held between Ukrainian and Georgian top female players:
• Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine, 2515)
• Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine, 2504)
• Nino Batsiashvili (Georgia, 2467)
• Meri Arabidze (Georgia, 2441)
The drawing of colours was conducted using traditional Georgian wines. The player to pick white wine, Teliani Valley - Tvishi, will play with white in the first round, and the one who chose red wine, Teliani Valley - Khvanchkara, will have the black pieces.
First-round pairings:
• Maria Muzychuk - Nino Batsiashvili
• Anna Muzychuk – Meri Arabidze
The technical meeting was attended by FIDE Special Tasks Director and the President of the Georgian Chess Federation, Akaki Iashvili, who welcomed the participants and wished them success.
The first round of the Champions Match will start on June 5, at 3 PM local time, in the Legend Hotel.
Chief Arbiter: Ashot Vardapetyan
Chief of the Appeal Committee: Marco Biagioli
Official website: batumi2023.fide.com/
Photos: official website
