II SUNWAY SITGES INTERNATIONAL CHESS FESTIVAL
Sitges (Barcelona, Spain), 12/12/2015 a 20/12/2015
From December 12th to December 20th, the second edition of the Sunway Sitges International Chess Festival will be held in Sitges, a charming beach town located just 40 kilometers south of Barcelona. With 18,000 € in prizes, this chess festival has become one of the most important of the Spanish national scene.
The main event of the Festival will be the Open Tournament, featuring nine rounds played under the Swiss system, but other activities such as two blitz tournaments, simultaneous games with International Grandmasters, a children’s championship, local city tours, etc., will also be held. After the more than positive inaugural edition of the Festival last year, the Organization is working to let players enjoy a high level chess tournament for both experts and amateurs of all levels.
In this second edition of the festival, more than 150 players from over 30 countries are expected, with more than 15 Grand Masters, 15 International Masters, and 15 FIDE Masters. The tournament will count with the participation of players like Julio Granda (Peru), Alexandr Fier (Brazil), Evgenij Agrest (Sweden), Sebastien Mazé (France), Fernando Peralta (Argentina), Oleg Romanishin (Ukraine) and Josep Manuel Lopez (Spain). Any amateur who cannot participate in the Festival but wants to follow the evolution of the tournament can do so via the Internet, because the Organization will be broadcasting several games live.
With the consolidation of this international festival, Sitges becomes a destination particularly active as far as chess is concerned. The town also hosts the Chess Open Villa de Sitges, one of the oldest tournaments in Spain. And both tournaments are held not only in the beautiful frame that Sitges offers, but also in halls of great beauty, as the summer tournament takes place at the Grand Theatre of the Casino Prado in Sitges, while the winter festival is held in a hall with spectacular views of the hotel where the festival takes place (Sunway Playa Golf Hotel & Spa, 4 stars).
Finally, Sunway Sitges International Chess Festival will host the Catalan Ages’ Championship, Memorial García Ilundain, in which the presence of more than 300 children and youngsters is expected, and it will be a great occasion to see especially the youngest ones implement the knowledge they have learnt.