Kaspersky Lab Becomes Official Cybersecurity Partner of FIDE and World Chess

World Chess today revealed details of the 2017 Grand Prix series and announced that Kaspersky Lab becomes the Official Cybersecurity Partner of FIDE and World Chess, the organizer of the World Chess Championship cycle of events. The unveiling of the partnership took place at the Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club, the venue for the first Grand Prix in the 2017 cycle.

The venues and dates for the forthcoming Grand Prix cycle in 2017 will be as follows:

• Sharjah, UAE: February 17-28
• Moscow, Russia: May 11–22
• Geneva, Switzerland: July 5-16
• Palma De Mallorca, Spain: November 15-26 

Salem Saleh from Sharjah will become the first Grandmaster from UAE to take part in a World Championship event when he competes in the Sharjah Grand Prix. In total, 18 players will participate in each Grand Prix and contest a prize fund of 130,000 euros. All the Grand Prix will be exclusively broadcast at www.worldchess.com. 

Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, commented: “I’m very proud that we’re now a partner of the World Chess Championship. The ultimate game of strategy, chess involves lots of excitement and tension too. The top chess tournaments are all about human brainpower – aided today by computer technologies. Some games at the very top level are simply among the top human achievements – real masterpieces. And we’re happy to become a part of this.” 

The partnership between Kaspersky Lab, FIDE and World Chess will include complex cybersecurity protection for FIDE headquarters, several national chess federations, chess players competing in the World Chess Championship and the online infrastructure for each tournament. It also includes cybersecurity training for players. Kaspersky Lab’s branding will be visible on all player tables during the matches of the World Chess Championship 2017-18.

Georgious Makropoulos, Deputy President of FIDE, said: “I am delighted that the world’s top players will have the opportunity to benefit from this partnership with one of the world’s leading cybersecurity company. And it is immensely gratifying to see another global brand sponsor our sport.” 

Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess, said: “Chess lives and breathes as IT-related sport, played by hundreds of millions of people around the world. This makes Kaspersky Lab a natural partner to the game as it continues to gain in popularity.” 

Find more information about Kaspersky Lab’s chess activities at chess.kaspersky.com.