Sixth edition of the Salamanca Festival with Topalov, Khadem and Ivanchuk

by ChessBase
4/25/2023 – The sixth edition of the Salamanca Chess Festival is taking place on April 25-29. The Masters Tournament, including Veselin Topalov, Sara Khadem and Vasyl Ivanchuk, kicks off on Wednesday at 17.30. An eight-player field (four men and four women) will fight over the board in rapid chess (40 minutes plus 5-second increments). The festival includes a number of educational and cultural side events. | Pictured: The playing hall during the fifth edition (2021)

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The cradle of modern chess

Salamanca Chess Festival 2023The University of Salamanca is organizing the sixth edition of the Salamanca Cradle of Modern Chess Festival on April 25-29. The festival commemorates the fact that the modern rules of chess were first formulated in 1497 by Luis Ramírez de Lucena in Repetición de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez con CL Juegos de Partido, the first extant chess book. Lucena was a student at the University of Salamanca. 

Besides the Masters Tournament, the festival includes many side events: conferences, simultaneous exhibitions, chess courses, amateur tournaments and the Pablo de Unamuno Open.

The Masters Tournament features eight players (four mean and four women), who will play a single round-robin rapid chess event. Games will be played with a time control of 40 minutes and an increment of 5 seconds per move.

Participants

  • Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria)
  • Sara Khadem (Iran)
  • Vasyl Ivanchuk (Ukraine)
  • Anna Ushenina (Ukraine)
  • Jaime Santos (Spain)
  • Kirill Alekseenko (FIDE)
  • Gunay Mammadzada (Azerbaijan)

Previous editions


Veselin Topalov

Veselin Topalov won the tournament in 2018, when the University of Salamanca celebrated its 800th anniversary

Full program 

Find more information on the festival’s official website

April 25

18:00 Simultaneous exhibition
20:00 Inaugural act of the Masters Tournament

April 26

16:00 Lecture by María Rodrigo Yanguas and Ticia Gara: “Women in chess”
17:30 Masters Tournament: Rounds 1 and 2

April 27

16:00 Lecture by Jacobo S. Sanz Hermida and Amador González de la Nava
17:30 Masters Tournament: Rounds 3 and 4

April 28

16:00 Lecture by Juan Antonio Montero Aleu: “Social Chess”
17:30 Masters Tournament: Round 5
20:00 Blitz Tournament

April 29

10:00 Children’s Tournament
12.00 Lecture by Jorge González Fernández: “Chess as a therapeutic tool”
16:00 Masters Tournament: Rounds 6 and 7
21:00 Closing ceremony


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