Chess and Thermal Springs in Kamena Vourla

The World Senior Chess Championships 2012 will be held in the 5-star Galini Wellness Spa & Resort Hotel in Kamena Vourla, Greece from 12 November (arrivals) to 25 November (departures).

The games will take place in the Congress Center of Galini Wellness Spa & Resort Hotel, the largest and most complete spa resort in Greece!

Galini Wellness Spa is internationally renowned for its thermal springs and their therapeutic qualities, combining the freshness of the mountain and the breeze of the sea.

Close to Athens (190 km to the north), it nestles in a valley of eucalyptus trees, an ideal starting point for extensive walking and tours, for trips to the nearby ski center of Parnassos mountain or for excursions to the Meteora monasteries, Delphi, Thermopiles and many other points of archeological interest.

The total prize fund of the World Senior Championship is 15.000 euros and the event is open to all players representing FIDE national chess federations, regardless of their title or rating, provided that the men participants are born in 1952 or before and that the women participants are born in 1962 or before.

Two months before the start of the games, the number of participants is already rising. Among the players will be the following names:

OPEN SECTION top seeds:

GM Vaisser Anatoly FRA 2556
GM Sveshnikov Evgeny LAT 2530
GM Timoscenko Gennadij SVK 2490
GM Jansa Vlastimil CZE 2451
GM Kupreichik Viktor BLR 2434
GM Cebalo Miso CRO 2424
IM Pritchett Craig SCO 2348
FM Sorensen Bent DEN 2305
FM Kunz Konstantin GER 2303
IM Afek Yochanan ISR 2301