Two grandmaster tournaments in Biel at once

by Press release
7/10/2024 – The 57th edition of Biel Chess Festival begins this Saturday and will once again attract chess enthusiasts from all over the world to the watchmaking metropolis. There will now be two invitational tournaments for the elite: the GMT-Masters and the GMT-Challengers, which will each be contested by six players. The field of participants will be led by the world number 8, Praggnanandhaa from India. There is also a whole range of tournaments on the programme for amateurs, including a new one-week tournament in the morning and the physicians' tournament. Registrations for the open tournaments are still possible at short notice.

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Grandmaster tournaments GMT: New in two versions

The festival's flagship event is the Grandmaster Tournament, which is held in a triathlon format, i.e. with a mixture of games in the classical cadence as well as rapid and blitz chess. Two GMTs will be held this year: The GMT-Masters and the GMT-Challengers, both with six participants each. The Indian sibling pair Rameshbabu is noteworthy: Praggnanandhaa leads the field of participants in the GMT-Masters, while his sister Vaishali is competing in the GMT-Challengers.

There is a last-minute change at the GMTMasters: the Uzbek Sindarov is unable to travel to Biel, which is why he will be replaced by the American grandmaster Sam Shankland.

Open tournaments for every level

For the open tournaments, the organisers are again offering a wide range of options: from the major Master Tournament (MTO) and Amateur Tournament (ATO) of 10 or 9 rounds of classical chess to various one-day events. In the second week (22-26 July), two new versions of the week's tournament will be held in the mornings, which are suitable for players with less time as well as in addition to the MTO and ATO. The one-day tournaments include the physicians' tournament for all healthcare professionals (13 July) and the free Vinetum youth tournament for all newcomers born in 2006 or younger (20 July). Last-minute registrations can be made on site up to one hour before the start of the tournament.

Overview of open tournaments: multi-day tournaments

  • 15.-24.7.: Master Tournament MTO, classic cadence, from 1900 Elo
  • 16.-25.7.: Amateur Tournament ATO, classic cadence, up to 2000 Elo
  • 22.-26.7.: Week's Tournament WT1, in the morning, up to 1799 Elo
  • 22.-26.7.: Week's Rapid Tournament WT2, in the morning, from 1800 Elo

Overview of open tournaments: one-day tournaments

  • 14.7.: Rapid Tournament RAP
  • 21.7.: Blitz Tournament BTZ
  • 13.7.: Swiss Rapid Fischer Random Championship (960), Chess960
  • 13.7. Physicians Tournament Spitalzentrum Biel, for healthcare personnel  20.7.:Vinetum Youth Tournament, Born 2006 and younger

Contact for queries

  • Peter Bohnenblust, President OC: 076 405 80 87
  • Dennis Briechle, Media Officer: 078 587 03 13

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Topics: Schachfestival Biel 2024
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60m English The Elephant Gambit

The Elephant Gambit (1.e4.e5 2.Nf3 d5!?) has never really been given the attention it deserves. It is a very useful surprise weapon. Let us list the advantages of playing this particular opening: 1) Shock value 2) It is very aggressive. Black can take over the initiative early. 3) Many tricky lines 4) Unorthodox. Black is basically taking the game to the opponent as early as move two. Not many openings do that! It's a perfect opening for young players and club players to adopt. Let Andrew Martin select a repertoire for you on this 60 mins, which, if used with discretion, will rack up the points. I am sure that you will enjoy this unusual tour of the Elephant Gambit.