Moscow – PhosAgro, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers, has renewed its strategic partnership agreements with the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Russian Chess Federation (RCF).
The signing ceremony, which was attended by FIDE President and Skolkovo Foundation Chairman Arkady Dvorkovich, RCF President Andrey Filatov, and PhosAgro CEO and RCF Vice President Andrey Guryev, took place at the Mikhail Botvinnik Central Chess Club.
FIDE President and Skolkovo Foundation Chairman Dvorkovich congratulated PhosAgro on its 20th anniversary: “It’s impossible to imagine a World Championship without PhosAgro as a partner, and I am happy that the company is going to be a partner once again this year for the Championship and, no less important, the Chess World Cup to be held this July and August in Sochi.
“I believe that this yet again affirms the company’s commitment to the philosophy of chess and its support both for the Russian school and for the development of chess throughout the world. Our partnership will have a significant impact in terms of supporting the younger generation of chess players both in Russia and around the world.
“This time, the World Championship will be held in the context of the World Expo in Dubai, which will bring together top minds in not only the world of chess world but also of politics, business and technology. I think this is completely in line with the combination of expertise that the International Chess Federation and PhosAgro have.”
RCF President Filatov thanked PhosAgro for its long-term support: “Today we have entered the annals of our country’s history: our team is simultaneously the European and World Champion and the winner of the Olympic Games. PhosAgro and Andrey Guryev personally played a major role in these historic victories. I would like to thank Arkady Dvorkovich for his appreciation of this fact and for presenting Andrey [Guryev] with an Olympic gold medal for his considerable contribution to the development of the chess movement in Russia and at the international level – he deserves it!”
“Chess has become a traditional corporate game for us, a part of our corporate culture”, said Mr Guryev. “Our Company is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and we have been supporting the Russian Chess Federation for 11 of those years. We are also a sponsor of the World Chess Championship and its qualifying tournaments. This signing ceremony has become a tradition: chess is gaining in popularity in our country and around the world, and it requires proper support from the business community. Chess and PhosAgro have a lot in common: we are always thinking about our next move – or rather two or three moves – in order to outperform our competitors. For PhosAgro, it’s important to support Russian chess and Russian chess players, but the main goal of our efforts is to crown another Russian World Chess Champion.”
In addition to chess, PhosAgro is a long-time partner of the Russian Olympians Foundation, the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, the Moscow Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, the Russian Swimming Federation, the Russian Cross-Country Skiing Federation and the St Petersburg Regional Judo Federation, and it is a sponsor of the Severyanka volleyball club (Vologda region) and the Proton volleyball club (Saratov), the Avtodor basketball club and the Turbina Balakovo Speedway Team (Saratov region), thus contributing to the international success of Russian sport.