1st International Chess Festival "Easter in Corfu ΄19"
chess
07 Dec 2018
/ 07:38
CORFU. An international event in Corfu!
What chess lovers in Corfu and Greece have been waiting years for is happening - after 25 years Corfu is once again involved in the organization of an important chess event following the announcement of the 1st International Chess Festival "Easter in Corfu '19" (29/4 - 5/5).
At the beginning of the 90s, for the first time in Greece, a big summer chess festival was organized in Corfu attracting some of the best players in the world as well as hundreds of Greek and international amateurs who came to take part in an open tournament with soem of the biggest names in world chess. Grandmasters, international masters, national champions all gathered in Corfu. Amongst them were world champions Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov (considered to be the greatest chess player of all time), the girl wonders from Hungary - the Polgar sisters (the greatest women chess players of all time), the Dutch champion Jan Timman and the Greek champions - grandmaster Spyros Skebris, Vassilis Kotronias and Stratos Grivas.
Several other parts of Greece followed Corfu's lead, such as Crete, Halkidiki, Rhodes, Ikaria and Kavala and local organizations developed. Financial problems forced Corfu Chess Club to discontinue the large international tournaments but chess lovers from all over Greece cried out for their resumption. Thus, due to the development of the game in Corfu over the last ten years, another large tournament can now be organized - bringing prestige and plenty of visitors to the island.
1st International Chess Festival "Easter in Corfu '19" will take place during the second week of Easter (29/4 - 5/5) at the Corfu Holiday Palace Resort & Spa. It will include an open international tournament divided into two groups (above and below 1700 ELO) as well as other competitions and events. The top matches in the tournament will be broadcast live via chess24.com with the use of special electronic chessboards.
Following the announcement of the tournament the entries from all over Greece have already started coming in.
The Mayor of Corfu Kostas Nikolouzos and Deputy Regional Governor for Corfu Nikoletta Pandi have promised financial and organizational support for this big event. This will undoubtedly help establish the festival as an annual event promoting Corfu worldwide.
At the beginning of the 90s, for the first time in Greece, a big summer chess festival was organized in Corfu attracting some of the best players in the world as well as hundreds of Greek and international amateurs who came to take part in an open tournament with soem of the biggest names in world chess. Grandmasters, international masters, national champions all gathered in Corfu. Amongst them were world champions Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov (considered to be the greatest chess player of all time), the girl wonders from Hungary - the Polgar sisters (the greatest women chess players of all time), the Dutch champion Jan Timman and the Greek champions - grandmaster Spyros Skebris, Vassilis Kotronias and Stratos Grivas.
Several other parts of Greece followed Corfu's lead, such as Crete, Halkidiki, Rhodes, Ikaria and Kavala and local organizations developed. Financial problems forced Corfu Chess Club to discontinue the large international tournaments but chess lovers from all over Greece cried out for their resumption. Thus, due to the development of the game in Corfu over the last ten years, another large tournament can now be organized - bringing prestige and plenty of visitors to the island.
1st International Chess Festival "Easter in Corfu '19" will take place during the second week of Easter (29/4 - 5/5) at the Corfu Holiday Palace Resort & Spa. It will include an open international tournament divided into two groups (above and below 1700 ELO) as well as other competitions and events. The top matches in the tournament will be broadcast live via chess24.com with the use of special electronic chessboards.
Following the announcement of the tournament the entries from all over Greece have already started coming in.
The Mayor of Corfu Kostas Nikolouzos and Deputy Regional Governor for Corfu Nikoletta Pandi have promised financial and organizational support for this big event. This will undoubtedly help establish the festival as an annual event promoting Corfu worldwide.
