Technology not only invaded our daily lives but also every other avenue you could possibly think of. And Kaspersky Labs has been chosen to support and protect one such avenue (or sport to be exact) — Chess. Kaspersky Labs has joined hands with FIDE as the cybersecurity partner for the organisation of World Chess Championship events over the next two years.
Talking about the partnership, Georgious Makropoulos, Deputy President of FIDE says,
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 companies. And it is immensely gratifying to see another global brand sponsor our sport.
Now, you might be thinking — why do we require cybersecurity measure for the chess championship? Well, modern-day chess is no longer a human-controlled affair. It has now transformed into a sport which combines human excellence with computer analysis like no other. And since advanced computer technologies are at the core of the tournament, thus, certain measures to protect the integrity of Chess have to be established. Here comes in, Kaspersky Labs.
Under this partnership, the cybersecurity giant will provide complex cybersecurity protection for the FIDE headquarters and national chess federations. This will also include protection for players participating in the championship, especially those Kaspersky is supporting itself. It has been sponsoring chess Grandmaster and World Vice Champion Sergey Karjakin since 2016. The firm also sponsors world junior chess champion Mikhail Antipov and partners with a young candidate master Andrey Tsvetkov.
Further, Kaspersky provides information security and support in arranging and participating in such sporting tournaments. This includes a cybersecurity training regime for players participating in the championship as well. The company’s branding will be visible across all player tables during the matches. Eugene Kaspersky, the Chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Labs, also expresses his delight over this partnership saying,
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. And we’re happy to become a part of this.
For those unaware of the FIDE World Chess Championship, it is a two-year of six events taking place around the world that feature the top grandmasters. It results in the culmination of a bi-annual World Chess Championship Match that determines the World Champion — which is the most prestigious title for Chess players. The current tour will start this month in Sharjah (UAE ) and is said to include four Grand Prix Tournaments, with the World Chess Championship Match scheduled for November 2018.
