Archive for March 12th, 2009

This event, an 11-round Swiss, has 168 players and a prize fund of 87,500 Euros. There are also 14 places in the next World Championship knockout tournament up for grabs. After five rounds four players are in the lead with 4.5 points, followed by eleven with 4.0 points. One participant is just ten. The husband of one of the favourites (can you guess who?) is providing us with photos and videos.

The nine-round open went from Saturday, February 28th to Saturday, March 07. Once again the organisers experimented with a new time contol, the “Decreasingly Accelerated System”. A total of 611 players took part, amongst them 102 GMs and 78 IMs, from 60 different countries – a good opportunity to shoot interesting portraits. Giant pictorial report by Dominique Primel.