The official opening ceremony of the FIDE World Chess Championship Match between the reigning champion Magnus Carlsen (Norway) and the challenger Sergey Karjakin (Russia) took place at the Plaza hotel in New York on November 10th, 2016. The tournament's opening ceremony was attended by chess officials, sponsors, honorary guests and international media.

The Chief Arbiter of the match Takis Nikolopoulos conducted the ceremony of the drawing of lots. Magnus Carlsen will have the white pieces in the first game. The first move of the World Chess Championship match will be played tomorrow, November 11th, at 2 pm local time.

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The World Chess Championship Match 2016, held from 11 to 30 November, will be contested by 25 year old reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway and his challenger, 26 year old Sergey Karjakin of Russia — and this is the first time that two players who have come of age in the computer era are fighting for the title and represent a generational shift in chess.

The match consists of 12 games, with every move avidly followed and analyzed by a global audience of hundreds of millions of chess fans. To win, a player must reach a score of 6.5 points. After 12 rounds, if the score is even, there will be tie-breaks.

FIDE and Agon Limited will provide an exclusive live broadcast of the Match through its worldchess.com website. This is going to be the first Championship Match for the smartphone generation — a battle of minds witnessed and enjoyed by countless chess fans who play the game online every day.

Official website: FIDE World Chess Championship 2016