Press release

«EUROCEMENT group» is the personal sponsor of
Vladimir Kramnik at the World Chess Championship Match

Chess is a competition of intellect and endurance, of risk and estimation. The 8th World Champion Michael Tal emphasized that to win a chess match one should have a lust for winning, “an ambition in its best meaning”.

This very philosophy, completely shared by «EUROCEMENT group» induced the company to pay a huge attention to the chess tournaments throughout its sponsorship activities.

In 2007 the holding was a General Partner of the II Tal Memorial, organized by the Russian Chess Federation and patronized by Alexander Zhukov and Arkady Dvorkovich. Such eminent players as Vladimir Kramnik, Vassily Ivanchuk, Peter Leko and others took part in this tournament. Kramnik won the event in great style.

The most exciting and long-awaited competition of 2008 will certainly be the forthcoming World Chess Championship Match between Vladimir Kramnik and Viswanathan Anand (India).

Vladimir Kramnik, who challenges Vishy Anand for the title in October

For many decades the chess crown had belonged to Soviet and then Russian grandmasters. In September 2007 Viswanathan Anand won the title at the World Championship tournament in Mexico City. Kramnik, who remained undefeated in his three world championship matches, became second in this double round robin event.

Viswanathan Anand vs Vladimir Kramnik at the 2007 World Championship in Mexico

In order to support Vladimir Kramnik in his endeavours to optimally prepare this challenging duel and to increase the chances to bring back the World Chess Championship title to Russia «EUROCEMENT group» will appear being the personal sponsor of this outstanding chess player. “EUROCEMENT is becoming a chess sponsor on a regular basis in Russia. Such engagements are important contributing to further develop chess in my country. At the same their support helps me to increase the level of my preparation with regard to the big match”, said Vladimir Kramnik.

The World Chess Championship will be held from October 14 to November 2, in the “Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany” in Bonn. Undoubtedly it will become a part of a 120-year tradition of chess history, which includes matches like Capablanca-Alekhine, Fischer-Spassky, Kasparov-Karpov, Kramnik-Kasparov and Kramnik-Topalov.

The match will consist of twelve games, played under classical time controls. If there is a tie at the end of these games a tiebreak will be played on November, 2. The prize fund is 1.5 million Euros.

EUROCEMENT group is a multinational vertically integrated industrial holding, producer of construction materials. Production facilities of the Group's businesses are 35 mln tons of cement, 10m³ of concrete and 3,5 mln tons of fillers per year. Meanwhile EUROCEMENT group is the world’s eights largest cement manufacturer.

The holding embodies 16 cement plants in Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, as well as concrete and reinforced concrete plants and open-cast mines of non-metallic production.

Links

• EUROCEMENT group
• Home page of V. Kramnik: www.kramnik.com
• Official World Championship web site: www.uep-worldchess.com