Opening ceremony with knights

The opening ceremony of this year's European Club Clup took place in an old castle complex in the heart of Rhodes Town. This castle was once the "Grand Master's Palace" of the Knights of Rhodes.

Upon entering the complex, numerous knights in historical attire could be seen standing guard. This was followed by a small reception with drinks, including wine.

Once the participants in the opening ceremony (one captain and up to three other team members) had taken their seats, the ceremony began with a musical introduction. A violinist performed a selection of well-known pieces, including some from the Game of Thrones series.

This was followed by several speeches and greetings, including one from ECU President Zurab Asmaiparashvili. He highlighted that this year marks the ECU's 40th anniversary.

In addition, the Deputy Mayor of Rhodes gave a warm welcome speech. Assisted by two helmeted knights, the chief arbiter drew lots to determine the colour distribution for the Open and for the Women's Tournament. After the approximately one-hour opening ceremony, there was a ten-minute demonstration of knights fighting with swords. It was hoped that similarly exciting battles would later take place on the chessboards.

After the opening ceremony, the obligatory meeting with the team captains took place. There is a feeling that the event is somewhat stricter than in previous years, partly due to the Armenian chief arbiter. Among other things, move counters are being used, which are controversial in some chess circles and prone to error. The event is also quite spectator-unfriendly: players must leave the playing venue once their game is over, unlike in previous ECCC editions, when they were permitted to remain in the room for a while to watch their teammates.

Furthermore, spectators and accompanying persons may only move between the three tournament rooms during the first hour. After that, unfortunately, this will no longer be possible. It was disappointing that only water was provided for the players as refreshment, rather than coffee or tea as in previous years.

However, perhaps these are just teething problems, and the organiser will make the tournament even more appealing for players and spectators in the second round.

De Sprenger Echternach (on the right)