India to host twin Grandmaster Opens this October

by Aditya Pai

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8/1/2018 – Today, India hosts at least six grandmaster events annually. This October, two more GM tournaments are slated to add up to that list: one in the heritage city of Ahmedabad and another in the party capital of the country, Goa. The events will be held from October 5th to 12th in Ahmedabad and October 13th to 20th in Goa. Both the places have their own specialities and these being the first editions of both events, the organizers are extremely motivated to provide the best possible service to the players. Here's all you need to know.

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Two new events add to India's trove

The number of Open Grandmaster tournaments in India has significantly increased in the last few years. Just this year, the country has hosted more than seven such events so far. While most of these events have been hosted in metropolitans like Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata etc., relatively smaller cities like Bhopal and Bhubaneshwar have also joined in. This Autumn two more state associations — Gujarat and Goa — have decided to hold their maiden Grandmaster Opens.

Secretaries of Gujarat and Goa Chess Associations: Mr Bhavesh Patel (L) and Mr Kishore Bandekar.

Secretaries of Gujarat and Goa Chess Associations: Mr Bhavesh Patel (L) and Mr Kishor Bandekar | Photos: (left) Amruta Mokal / (right) Kishor Bandekar's Facebook

Both tournaments have been organised by the secretaries of their respective hosting states and every effort has been made to ensure that players receive the best playing conditions possible.

Gujarat to Goa is only 1 hour and 45 minutes by air

Gujarat International GM Open

After the successful organization of the World Youth U-16 Championships, the Gujarati capital of Ahmedabad is all geared up for its second international chess event — The 1st Gujarat International Open Grandmasters Tournament. Organised by the Gujarat Chess Association, the tournament will be played from 5th to 12th October 2018 at the Karnavati Club, one of the most prestigious sports and recreational clubs in Ahmedabad.

Photo collage of the city of Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad in a glimpse

The Grandmaster event — open to all players above Elo 2000 — will be played alongside two other category events: U-2000 and U-1600. The Grandmaster event — open to all players above Elo 2000 — will be played alongside two other category events: U-2000 and U-1600.

Schedule

Category A (GM Open): 5th to 12th October 2018

Category B (Below 2000): 4th to 8th October 2018

Category C (Below 1600): 8th to 12th October 2018

Prize Fund

The total prize fund for all events will be ₹ 20,00,000 (USD 29,100 or €24,900).

Category A: ₹ 11,00,000 (USD 16,000 / € 13,600)

Category B: ₹ 5,00,000 (USD 7,300 / € 6,200)

Category C: ₹ 4,00,000 (USD 5,800 / € 5,000)

System of Play

All tournaments tournament will be conducted as per FIDE Laws of Chess and FIDE Swiss System with 10 rounds.

Time Control

Category A: 90 Minutes plus 30-second increment from move 1 for the entire game. The default time (walk over time) will be 15 minutes.

Category B and C: 60 Minutes plus 30-second increment from move 1. The default time (walk over time) will be 15 minutes.

Karnavati Club, Ahmedabad, India

The venue: Karnavati club is one of the most exclusive clubs in the whole of Gujarat

AICF Secretary, Bharat Singh Chauhan with Ajay Patel, President, Gujarat Chess Association

There has been a lot of chess development in the recent years in Gujarat and a huge credit for the same goes to Mr Ajay Patel (left), President of Gujarat State Chess Association. In the picture, he is with the Secretary of AICF Bharat Singh Chauhan | Photo: Amruta Mokal

Talking about being given the opportunity to host a GM tournament in Gujarat by the All India Chess Federation, Mr Bhavesh Patel, Secretary, Gujarat Chess Association, said, "I am thankful to the President and AICF for giving us an opportunity to organize a GM tournament in Gujarat. It's a dream for all secretaries to organize a norm tournament in their state and we already have a confirmed list of 20 foreign titled players." He further added: "We welcome all chess players and fans to Ahmedabad for participating in this Mega event. It's happening at the time of Navratri where you be able to see colourful Ahmedabad in the night and join in the celebrations of this festival."

Top 10 seeds who have already registered for Gujarat GM International 2018

No.		Name	ID	FideID	FED	Rtg	sex	Typ	Club/City
1	GM	Kravtsiv Martyn	0	14113147	UKR	2654			UKR
2	GM	Popov Ivan	0	4170350	RUS	2609			RUS
3	GM	Mchedlishvili Mikheil	0	13600966	GEO	2608			GEO
4	GM	Kryakvin Dmitry	0	4153278	RUS	2591			RUS
5	GM	Bernadskiy Vitaliy	0	14100371	UKR	2586			UKR
6	GM	Tiviakov Sergei	0	1008013	NED	2583			NED
7	GM	Ter-Sahakyan Samvel	0	13302531	ARM	2554			ARM
8	GM	Tukhaev Adam	0	14109476	UKR	2542			UKR
9	GM	Sivuk Vitaly	0	14116502	UKR	2521			UKR
10	IM	Karthik Venkataraman	565902017	25006479	IND	2514			AP

1st Goa International Open GM Tournament

The smallest Indian state, Goa, is known for its hip beach parties, tax-free booze and casinos. But hardly does one see any major chess events going on around there. The Goan Chess Federation, however, has pledged to change that on its 40th anniversary and is inviting all play chess in the party capital of India.

Photo collage of things to do in Goa, India

Some impressions of India's party capital!

1st Goa International Open GM Tournament will be played from 13th to 20th Oct. 2018 at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Taleigaon, Goa. October also happens to be one of the best times to visit Goa. So once you’re done playing, you can kick back and enjoy a sunset at the beach, hit the casino or just ride around on a rented motorbike. Another perk of playing in Goa is that your entry fee includes dormitory accommodation (twin sharing AC accommodation if you’re a GM) and food.

Just like the Gujarat International, the premier event in Goa will be played alongside two other category events. The GM tournament will be open to all players rated above Elo 2000 while category B and C will be for players rated below 2000 and 1600 respectively.