Friday, 28 February, the 20th anniversary of the Aeroflot Open 2025 Chess Festival was officially opened at the Four Seasons Hotel in Moscow.
The ceremony began with a minute of silence in memory of Boris Spassky (1937-2025), the tenth World Chess Champion, who had passed away the previous day. A frequent guest of honour at various editions of the Aeroflot Open, Spassky was always happy to interact with young players and remained in the spotlight of the journalists. His memory will live on!
Participants then watched a video presentation highlighting the rich history of this legendary tournament.
The event featured welcoming speeches by: Vitaly Savelyev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation; Alexander Zhukov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma; Sergey Alexandrovsky, Director General of Aeroflot; and Andrey Filatov, President of the Chess Federation of Russia.
For the first time in the festival’s history, the drawing of lots was conducted in the Armageddon format, one of the most thrilling variations of chess. The chief arbiter IA Vladimir Staratorzhsky, invited Amin Tabatabaei (Iran), the winner of the 2024 tournament, and Vladislav Artemiev, the two-time Russian champion, to take part in the ceremony.
Tabatabaei drew a black pawn, thus giving Artemiev the choice of color. The latter opted for White and won the game. Following his victory, Artemiev announced that in the first round, the top seed Ian Nepomniachtchi and all players with odd starting numbers would play Black.
As part of the cultural program, the Chamber Orchestra and Choir "Academy of Russian Music" conducted by Ivan Nikiforchin performed the first part of the Serenade for String Orchestra by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, a suite from the film "Gadfly" by Dmitry Shostakovich and the famous "Dance of the Knights" from the ballet "Romeo and Juliet" by Sergei Prokofiev. The choice of music was symbolic, reflecting the deep connection between great composers and the world of chess. The orchestra and choir also performed the Russian national anthem, after which Vladimir Staratorzhsky officially declared the tournament open.
The first round will take place on Saturday, 1 March, with games beginning at 3 PM Moscow time. A technical opening ceremony will be held at 2:30 PM.
The tournament venue is The Carlton, Moscow (Tverskaya Street, 3).
Tournament on Chess-Results
Photo gallery
Official website
Photos by Pavel Iovik, Eteri Kublashvili, and Vladimir Barsky
The ceremony began with a minute of silence in memory of Boris Spassky (1937-2025), the tenth World Chess Champion, who had passed away the previous day. A frequent guest of honour at various editions of the Aeroflot Open, Spassky was always happy to interact with young players and remained in the spotlight of the journalists. His memory will live on!
Participants then watched a video presentation highlighting the rich history of this legendary tournament.
The event featured welcoming speeches by: Vitaly Savelyev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation; Alexander Zhukov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma; Sergey Alexandrovsky, Director General of Aeroflot; and Andrey Filatov, President of the Chess Federation of Russia.
For the first time in the festival’s history, the drawing of lots was conducted in the Armageddon format, one of the most thrilling variations of chess. The chief arbiter IA Vladimir Staratorzhsky, invited Amin Tabatabaei (Iran), the winner of the 2024 tournament, and Vladislav Artemiev, the two-time Russian champion, to take part in the ceremony.
Tabatabaei drew a black pawn, thus giving Artemiev the choice of color. The latter opted for White and won the game. Following his victory, Artemiev announced that in the first round, the top seed Ian Nepomniachtchi and all players with odd starting numbers would play Black.
As part of the cultural program, the Chamber Orchestra and Choir "Academy of Russian Music" conducted by Ivan Nikiforchin performed the first part of the Serenade for String Orchestra by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, a suite from the film "Gadfly" by Dmitry Shostakovich and the famous "Dance of the Knights" from the ballet "Romeo and Juliet" by Sergei Prokofiev. The choice of music was symbolic, reflecting the deep connection between great composers and the world of chess. The orchestra and choir also performed the Russian national anthem, after which Vladimir Staratorzhsky officially declared the tournament open.
The first round will take place on Saturday, 1 March, with games beginning at 3 PM Moscow time. A technical opening ceremony will be held at 2:30 PM.
The tournament venue is The Carlton, Moscow (Tverskaya Street, 3).
Tournament on Chess-Results
Photo gallery
Official website
Photos by Pavel Iovik, Eteri Kublashvili, and Vladimir Barsky