Invitation to the 38th Chess Olympiad in Dresden

Invitation to the 38th Chess Olympiad Dresden 2008 The City of Dresden, the German Chess Federation (DSB) and FIDE have the honour of inviting all FIDE member Federations around the world to participate in the 38th Chess Olympiad Dresden 2008 (12th-25th November 2008)  and the 79th FIDE Congress Dresden 2008 (17th-25th November 2008) which will take place in Dresden, Saxony, Germany.

The official schedule of the 38th Chess Olympiad will be as follows:

 Participation, Teams and Quota

The World Chess Olympiad is open to all Federations affiliated to FIDE as members, each of which can nominate one team for the open and the women’s section, respectively. Each team has to consist of four players. Additionally, every Federation is allowed to nominate one reserve. Each team shall have a captain, who may also be one of the players (or reserve). Only National Federations may enter teams to the competitions.

Registration log-in and contact person

National Federations planning to participate in the Chess Olympiad 2008 already have been requested to nominate one contact person from their Federation being responsible for the registration procedure. The Organizers have provided the respective contact persons by email dated 15 May 2008 with the respective log-in details for final registration, as registration log-in will request a username and password to register online.

The log-in details for National Federations not having provided this contact of a nominated person to the Organizers will not be sent until these Federations have provided this information. This website will serve as registration tool.

Mr Olaf Modrozynski will serve as contact officer for the National Federations for the registration and Visa procedure. Please do not hesitate to directly contact the Organizers under

• olaf.modrozynski@dresden2008.org
• Phone: +49-351 488-1638
• Fax: +49-351 488-1653

without any further delay should your Federation not be in possession of these data.

Registration Deadlines

The Online Registration will open on 20 May 2008. Registration will close on 12 July 2008 (four month prior to the event).

Important note: In any case of late registrations the Organizers do not guarantee the accommodation of the respective participants. In these cases Hotel expenses will be charged to the Federation.

Online registration process

For the online registration process the following information are needed:

• first name
• last name
• birthday
• gender
• arrival in Dresden
• departure from Dresden
• hotel details

Also a picture of each participant should be provided to be used for the accreditation card and the internet live presentation of the games. We therefore kindly ask to provide us with some lines about each player to be used for the internet presentation.

Accommodation in general

The following official hotels of the Olympiad will be used to accommodate the participants:

• Premium Hotels
  • Hotel Westin Bellevue
  • Hotel Maritim
• First Class Hotels
  • Steigenberger Hotel Dresden-Radebeul
  • Four Points by Sheraton Königshof Dresden
  • Ramada Hotel Dresden
  • Art'otel Dresden
  • Hotel Elbflorenz
  • Residenz Alt Dresden.
• Comfort Class
  • IBIS Hotels Dresden

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Click to enlarge

Accommodation for players/reserves/captains

The players/reserves/captains of each team (maximum quota six persons) will be allocated free of charge for the duration of the Chess Olympiad (12 – 25 November 2008) according to the following room splitting plan:

Should your Federation require distribution plans differing from the plan above there will be additional costs being directly charged to the respective Federation.

Additional costs for an upgrade from a double room to a single room will be:

The additional costs for a longer stay (before 12 November/after 25 November) are:

Please note that Upgrade booking or booking of nights different from the duration of the Chess Olympiad (12 – 25 November 2008) will only be accepted upon advanced credit card payment. Invoices will be sent to the respective Federations after the closing of registration process on 12 July 2008. Payments must be made within four weeks after reception of the invoice.

Accommodation for others

The cost of all other people registered by the Federations will be charged to the respective Federation. The costs for night and breakfast for a full time stay from 12 to 25 November 2008 are:

Please note that bookings will only be accepted upon advanced credit card payment. Invoices will be sent to the respective federations after closing of registration process on 12 July 2008.

Board and Lodging for players/reserves/captains

Breakfast and lunch for teams will be provided in the respective hotels. Dinner will be provided at the “World of Chess” Catering centre at the Dresden City Hall. Details will be provided in Bulletin 2.

FIDE-Congress Timetable

FIDE-Congress Registration

Participants of the Congress will be registered by their respective Federation by using the same system like described above. Deadline for registration of delegates will be 12 July 2008.

FIDE-Congress Accommodation

The official FIDE-Congress Hotel will be the Premium Hotel West Inn Bellevue, being within walking distance of the Congress venue. Further information on Catering for Congress participants will be provided in due time.

The costs on a bed and breakfast basis at the official FIDE-Congress Hotel are:

• Single room: 120.00 € per night and person
• Double room: 75.00 € per night and person

Please note that this special offer is only available within the Congress period from 17 to 25 November 2008.

Arrival and Departure Information

Arrival and Departure by Flight:

All participants and delegates are again requested to book their flights to Dresden on the occasion of the Chess Olympiad as early as possible. There are numerous non-stop connections within the German-speaking region. The inner-German direct connections include nine cities, for instance Frankfurt/Main (FRA), Munich (MUC) and Düsseldorf (DUS).

Dresden International Airport (DRS) is located about nine kilometers north-east of the city centre.

Arrival and Departure by Train:

The Dresden Main Station is situated next to the city centre. Direct express train connections from the largest German cities and from Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria to Dresden are available.

Visa Information

EU nationals do not require a visa to enter the Federal Republic of Germany. Generally speaking, all other foreigners require a visa for stays in Germany. A visa is not required for semi-annual visits of up to three months for nationals of those countries for which the European Community has abolished the visa requirement.

Nationals being in need for visa to enter Germany are required to contact the respective German embassy or consular section being responsible for your country. A list of those countries can be found on the website of the German Foreign Office.

Visas are issued by the mission responsible for the area in which the applicant has his/her ordinary residence or domicile. Participants being in need for visa are requested to register online as mentioned above prior to the deadlines given. The Organizing Committee will upon request send invitation letters to the respective Federation.

The Organizers would like to underline that visa procedures are the responsibility of the applying person/s. In any case but in particular in the case of late registration or failing respective procedures the Organizers are not responsible for the participant’s visas. The Organizers however will be glad to assist when questions on Visa procedures should apply.

The Organizers would also like to stress strongly that no visas will be issued at the German passport control and all documentation has to be prepared beforehand.

Contact information / Imprint

Schacholympiade 2008 – Chess Foundation GmbH
Managing Director Jörn Verleger
Kreuzstr. 6, D - 01067 Dresden, Germany
Phone: +49-351 488-1665
Fax: +49-351 488-1653
Web site: www.dresden2008.org
Email: info@Dresden2008.org

Bank account: (Please indicate name of bank account holder as shown below)
Bank account holder: “Schacholympiade 2008 – Chess Foundation GmbH”
Bank name: Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden
Bank number / BLZ: 31 56 000 000 / 850 503 00
IBAN: DE14 8505 0300 3156 000 000
BIC: BIC OSDDDE81