2008 Sparkassen Chess-Meeting / Dortmund

Grand Masters‘ Tournament in the Civic Theatre – Sparkassen Open A and B in the Town Hall World Class Players Compete for the Dortmund Chess Crown Sparkassen Chess Meeting from 28th June to 6th July From 28th June to 6th July 2008 everything in Dortmund’s Civic Theatre will once again revolve around chess.

Eight Grand Masters will compete for points and victories during this year’s Sparkassen Chess Meeting.

The spectators at the classical chess tournament with the richest tradition in Germany can look forward to exciting games at this attractive venue. The festival mood of the Sparkassen Chess Meeting is heightened by the Sparkassen Open that will be played in Dortmund Town Hall.

For the 36th International Dortmund Chess Days the eight Grand Masters will come from six different countries, two of them will participate in the Sparkassen Chess Meeting for the first time.

Four world class players count as tournament favourites: first and foremost the title defender and second in world ranking, VLADIMIR KRAMNIK. In the past two years the 32-year-old Russian dominated in the Civic Theatre – by now he can look back on no less than eight victories in Dortmund. At the Sparkassen Chess Meeting Kramnik can prove his form again before his world championship duel with Viswanathan Anand in Bonn in October.

SHAKHRIYAR MAMEDJAROV will compete in Dortmund for the second year running. The 22-year-old world class player from Azerbaijan is number seven in the world ranking.

Last year PETER LEKO gained third place at the Sparkassen Chess Meeting. The 28-year-old Hungarian won the tournament in 1999 and in 2002 and this year will fight for victory again.

A further candidate for the title is the Ukrainian number one, VASSILY IVANCHUK. The 39-year-old has achieved impressive victories over the past year, currently he is number eleven in the world ranking.

This year Germany will be represented by two players from the national team, ARKADIJ NAIDITSCH and JAN GUSTAFSSON. In 2005 Dortmund local hero Naiditsch (22) wrote chess history in the Civic Theatre when he became the first German, and at only 19 the youngest, winner of the Sparkassen Chess Meeting.

Jan Gustafsson (28) is a native of Hamburg and will compete at the Chess Days for the first time. Also competing here for the first time is IAN NEPOMNIACHTCHI from Russia. The 17-year-old won his invitation to the Sparkassen Chess Meeting with his victory in the Aeroflot Open in Moscow.

The Dutch top player LOEK VAN WELY (35) will return to Dortmund after playing here in 2005. At his debut in the Civic Theatre he then gained fourth place out of ten players.

Here is the official website with full information.