4th International Villach Open
The 4th International Villach Open is starting today and continues over 9 rounds of Swiss tournament system until 18th February.
The tournament is organized by the ESV ASKÖ Admira Villach and incorporates the 31st Open Championship of Villach.
The playing venue is Volkshaus Völkendorf, Neubaugasse 9, 9500 Villach, Austria. The tournament is themed as “Chess at the meeting point of three cultures” – Austria, Italy and Slovenia.
Chess Evolution author and Chessdom commentator GM Nikola Sedlak is the top seeded player.
World Senior Champion GM Vladimir Okhotnik and Friulian legend FM Ivano Ceschia, who recently won an IM norm in Forni di Sopra, are also participating.
Villach (Slovenian: Beljak, Italian: Villaco, Friulian: Vilac) is the second largest city in the Carinthia state in the southern Austria, at the Drava River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region.
Players list (top seed):
1 GM Sedlak Nikola SRB 2587
2 GM Horvath Jozsef HUN 2531
3 GM Okhotnik Vladimir FRA 2467
4 IM Baumegger Siegfried AUT 2419
5 IM Mencinger Vojko SLO 2377
Is GM norm possible?