Alghero (S'Alighera in Sardinian), is a town of about 35,000 inhabitants which lies in the province of Sassari in north-eastern Sardinia (Sardegna), Italy.
The inhabitants speak a form of Catalan because Catalan invaders occupied the town in the 14th century. The beautiful city on the Riviera del Corallo still possesses urban traits, architecture, folklore and the language of its Catalani forefathers.
The bid for the eight-player FIDE world championship is being made by the Associazione Scacchistica Alghero, partnered by the Comune di Alghero, Regione Autonoma della Sardegna, Consortium ITA. The offer is US $1,500,000, and the dates requested are between October 15 and November 15.
The bid competes with the one made by the city of San Luis in Argentina, which has already put up one million dollars in prize money for the event. FIDE has already announced that it the Argentinian bid was accepted and that financial guarantees had been received. But the bidding procedure lasted until April 28, and the Sardinians just met this deadline. "We are waiting for an answer from FIDE," the officials told us.
