“Samarkand, the ancient city of Uzbekistan, will host the 2023 Rapid and Blitz World Championship held by FIDE on December 26-30.

In this five-day tournament, the world's best chess players will fight for the title of world champion in rapid and blitz.

“FIDE appreciates Uzbekistan’s rich chess tradition and recognizes that the country is becoming a chess leader. Attention to chess made us entrust this prestigious competition to Uzbekistan,” said Arkady Dvorkovich, president of the World Chess Federation.

“Uzbekistan will also host the 2026 Chess Olympiad. The hosting of the World Rapid Chess Championship will also be a great impetus for the preparation of this major competition,” the FIDE press service said, quoting Dvorkovich.

It should be recalled that Uzbekistan was declared the best chess country of 2022, and Nodirbek Abdusattarov and Javohir Sindorov received the “Tour D’or” – “Golden Tower” prize.