Gujarat and Goa to host their first Grandmaster Open!
Indian chess is progressing with each passing year. A sign of this is the growing number of Grandmaster tournaments in India. Today, the country hosts at least six grandmaster events annually. This October, two more GM tournaments will be added to India's trove of International GM events: one in the heritage city of Ahmedabad and another in the party capital of India, Goa! The events will be held from 5th to 12th October in Ahmedabad and 13th to 20th October in Goa. Both the places are have their own specialities and being the first time, the organizers are extremely motivated to provide the best possible service to the players. Here's all you need to know about the forthcoming events! Make sure to mark the dates on your calendar.
Two new events add to India's trove of GM Tournaments
The number of Open Grandmaster tournaments in India has significantly increased in the last few years. Just this year, the country has hosted more 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. In a couple of months, two more state associations – of Gujarat and Goa –have decided to hold their maiden Grandmaster Opens.
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.
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.
Statement by Secretary of Gujarat Chess Bhavesh Patel:
"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 20 foreign titled players. 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 | GM | Malakhatko Vadim | 0 | 14104202 | BEL | 2499 | BEL |
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.
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.
Schedule
Category A (GM Open): 13th to 20th October 2018
Category B (Below 2000): 13th to 16th October 2018
Category C (Below 1600): 17th to 20th October 2018
Prize Fund
The total prize fund for all events will be ₹ 34,00,000 (USD 29,100 or €24,900).
Category A: ₹ 14,00,000 (USD 20,400 / € 17,400)
Category B: 10,00,000 (USD 14,500 / € 12,500)
Category C: 10,00,000 (USD 14,500 / € 12,500)
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.
| Nr. | Namn | Fide-ID | Nation | Rating | kön | Typ | Klubb | ||
| 1 | GM | Kravtsiv Martyn | 14113147 | UKR | 2654 | Ukraine | |||
| 2 | GM | Popov Ivan | 4170350 | RUS | 2609 | Russia | |||
| 3 | GM | Mchedlishvili Mikheil | 13600966 | GEO | 2608 | Georgia | |||
| 4 | GM | Kryakvin Dmitry | 4153278 | RUS | 2591 | Russia | |||
| 5 | GM | Bernadskiy Vitaliy | 14100371 | UKR | 2586 | Ukraine | |||
| 6 | GM | Tiviakov Sergei | 1008013 | NED | 2583 | Netherlands | |||
| 7 | GM | Ter-Sahakyan Samvel | 13302531 | ARM | 2554 | Armenia | |||
| 8 | GM | Tukhaev Adam | 14109476 | UKR | 2542 | Ukraine | |||
| 9 | GM | Kadric Denis | 14403803 | BIH | 2522 | Bosnia | |||
| 10 | GM | Sivuk Vitaly | 14116502 | UKR | 2521 | Ukraine |
Accommodation
In case, you would like to arrange for your own accommodation near either or both of the tournament venues, you may contact ChessBase India Power on +91 91069 08500 / +91 7878860008. Alternatively, you can also contact ChessBase India Power via email at accommodations@chessbase.in