Cuba to host 2nd edition of the International Open Chess Championship

MATANZAS, Cuba, Sep 3 (ACN) More than 130 players, distributed in three competition groups (elite, general open and open for juniors) will take part in the 2nd edition of the Varadero International Open, an event that will take place October 1 to 6 in the Cuban popular seaside resort.

According to information provided by Michel Yglesias Herrera, member of the organizing committee, in the competition recognized as fourth category, according to the scales of this type of competitions on the island, 10 players from the elite group will opt for Grandmaster standards.

This group will also include four foreign athletes from Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico and possibly Chile, said Yglesias Herrera, who is also a Master Candidate and trainer, who added that some 60 participants are expected in the other two groups of the tournament.

Yglesias Herrera told the Cuban News Agency in an exclusive interview that the general open group will be played under the nine-round Swiss system and awards will be given to the first three places, as well as to the best woman, the best disability athlete and the best foreigner.

The maximum aspiration for this 2nd edition is to grow in national and international presence, in addition to raising the standards in terms of organization, elements that would help to consolidate the Varadero Open among the most prominent lids of the so-called science game in the country, he said.

The 2nd Varadero Chess Open is the only venue in terms of category in the Caribbean nation to the well-known Capablanca in memoriam and Guillermito Garcia tournaments, in addition to the University Chess Festival (Ajeduni).