Thursday – chess tournament opens
EPIC battles of cunning and strategy are being waged at Horntye Sports Centre.
The annual Hastings International Chess Congress, which attracts some of the best players from around the globe, opened today, Thursday.
It is the world’s longest-running chess championship and this year’s competitors, including 12 grandmasters and two women grandmasters, have come from 21 different countries.
The congress includes a nine-round tournament for the international grandmasters, with a first prize of £2,000. It also provides an opportunity for players to gain international rating points.
Last year’s winner Valerij Neverov, of Ukraine, will be defending his title. Leading the field is Georgian grandmaster Merab Gagunashvili.
Others include home-grown Mark Hebden, Russian champ Alexander Cherniaev and Dagne Ciuksyte of Lithuania.
The full article is here.
Hastings is not what it used to be anymore.