Echesspedia

The ACP (Association of Chess Professionals) is an international non-profit organization, founded in Paris in September 2003. This new body for international chess was set up by a large group of strong professional players.

The ACP is run by a Board of nine elected members. Its President is Vadim Morokhovsky.

The ACP has over 240 top chess professionals from all over the world, including 18 players out of the world’s top 20, as well as the reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand from India.

The ACP’s foremost objective is the worldwide promotion of the game of chess. Its most important achievements include the following:

1      In April and May 2004, three Internet chess tournaments were staged, with the participation of over 100 Grandmasters and a record attendance of more than 200 thousand unique spectators online.

2      In July 2004, the ACP Tour was launched. This brand new series unites all major international tournaments into one circuit for a one-year chess season. The ACP Tour now includes more than 60 tournaments all over the world.

3      In September and October 2004, the final of the World Chess Championship was staged under the ACP aegis in Brissago (Switzerland), between titleholder Vladimir Kramnik from Russia and his challenger Peter Leko from Hungary.

4.     Since  January 2007 ACP has organized four World Rapid Cup in Odessa sponsored by the Pivdenny Bank, the largest bank in the southern part of Ukraine.

The winners were: Peter Leko, 2007; Teimur Radjabov, 2008; Boris Gelfand, 2009; Sergey Karjakin, 2010.