FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich presented Andrey Guryev, Vice-President of the Russian Chess Federation and CEO of PhosAgro, with a gold medal for his significant contribution to the development of the chess movement in Russia and abroad

MOSCOW, March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Arkady Dvorkovich, President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), presented Andrey Guryev, Vice-President of the Russian Chess Federation, with a gold medal for the significant contribution he has made to the development of the chess movement in Russia and abroad. The award marked the Russian National Team's victory in FIDE's first ever online chess olympiad.

The FIDE Online Olympiad held last summer was the largest tournament consisting of national teams ever held in a pandemic. It was a truly global competition, with 163 teams and over 1,500 chess players taking part.

Presenting the medal, FIDE President and Chairman of the Skolkovo Foundation Arkady Dvorkovich, said that PhosAgro's support as a permanent general partner of the Chess Federation of Russia helped the Russian national team to put on an excellent game and secure a well-deserved victory.

"The Russian national team demonstrated maximum dedication and an unwavering desire to win in each game. Yet what is more important to us still is seeing the great and constantly growing interest in chess in Russia and around the world. We take great pride, therefore, in sharing this latest medal with those who have played a part in developing domestic chess and contributing to Russia's success.

"The greater than ten-year partnership between the Russian Chess Federation and PhosAgro has been as an excellent example of the Federation's strong working relationship with its business partners. The Federation's approach to developing chess needs to be as comprehensive as possible in order to popularise chess not only in Russia but also abroad and PhosAgro has helped with this effort by opening chess classes in company-sponsored schools and kindergartens, creating the necessary infrastructure to conduct chess classes in Russia's regions and supporting leading Russian grandmasters. PhosAgro has also supported a number of major international tournaments through sponsorship, including the World Chess Championship matches in Sochi, New York and London," said Arkady Dvorkovich.

Andrey Guryev, Vice-President of the Chess Federation of Russia and CEO of PhosAgro, thanked Arkady Dvorkovich for his continued trust and noted how highly professional the FIDE team's work has been in organising international tournaments and promoting chess around the world.

"Another golden page in the history of Russian chess has just been written. For the first time, the Russian national team has held the winning spot in the World Championship, the European Championship, and the Olympic Games simultaneously. This is a fantastic result!

"I would like to take this opportunity to note the great coordination between the Chess Federation of Russia and FIDE. The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented the normal functioning of many areas in society, but the world of chess has not stopped for a second. The industry has found new formats and been able to significantly expand the audience of the most intelligent sport on the planet. I would like to wish the Russian chess industry continued success in 2021. On our side, we will do everything we can to help our grandmasters bring the world chess crown home," declared Andrey Guryev.

PhosAgro seeks to promote sport among young people and professionals, develop sport culturally, and promote the importance of building a healthy and active lifestyle among its workforce as well as in the cities where it works. In addition to chess, PhosAgro is a long-standing partner of the Russian Olympians Support Fund, the Russian Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics, the Moscow Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, the Russian Swimming Federation, the Russian Ski Racing Federation, the Regional Judo Federation of St Petersburg, and is a sponsor of the Severyanka volleyball club (in the Vologda region), the Avtodor basketball club, as well as the Balakovo Turbina speedway team. Through supporting initiatives like these, PhosAgro has helped contribute to the development and international success of Russian sports.

About Phosagro

PhosAgro (www.phosagro.ru) is one of the world's leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers in terms of production volumes of phosphate-based fertilizers and high-grade phosphate rock with a P₂O₅ content of 39% and higher. PhosAgro's environmentally friendly fertilizers stand out for their high efficiency, and they do not lead to the contamination of soils with heavy metals.

The Company is the largest phosphate-based fertilizer producer in Europe (by total combined capacity for DAP/MAP/NP/NPK/NPS), the largest producer of high-grade phosphate rock with a P₂O₅ content of 39%, a top-three producer of MAP/DAP globally, one of the leading producers of feed phosphates (MCP) in Europe, and the only producer in Russia, and Russia's only producer of nepheline concentrate (according to the RAFP).

PhosAgro's main products include phosphate rock, more than 50 grades of fertilizers, feed phosphates, ammonia, and sodium tripolyphosphate, which are used by customers in over 100 countries spanning all of the world's inhabited continents. The Company's priority markets outside of Russia and the CIS are Latin America, Europe and Asia.

PhosAgro's shares are traded on the Moscow Exchange, and global depositary receipts (GDRs) for shares trade on the London Stock Exchange (under the ticker PHOR). Since 1 June 2016, the Company's GDRs have been included in the MSCI Russia and MSCI Emerging Markets indexes.

More information about PhosAgro can be found on the website: www.phosagro.ru