WELCOME TO THE WEBSITE DEDICATED TO 5th SALENTO INTERNATIONAL CHESS OPEN 2016
The professionals of chess are back in Gallipoli. The fifth edition of the Salento international open will be taking place in this calm and relaxing bay, which is one of the most beautiful of Puglia region, at the ecoresort "Le Sirenè". This event has now become a traditional part of the international calendar and in 2015 attracted people from thirteen different countries (eleven players from Kuwait).
Though it's still early to write the list of participants; we can announce that amongst the people invited who still haven't confirmed their presence, are the first and second place winners from last year, the GMs and Ukrainian brothers Yuri and Andrey Vovk. Yuri, winner of last year's edition of the salentinian tournament, has recently been amongst the protagonists of the Fide world cup, in which he surpassed the young star of Usa, Ray Robson, and fought bravely against the chinese 16year-old Wei Yi - who was aiming for the first places in the world ranking - with whom he lost only in the play-off blitz matches. Before the arrival of Yuri Vovk, written in the hall of fame of this tournament were the names of the Montenegrinian Dragisa Blagojevic, the Hungarian Csaba Horvath and the German Igor Khenkin.
Aside from the names of the professional who will take part in the event, and who will be, as always, joined by many other amateur players who want to measure themselves against the best, there are many other reasons to not miss the 2016 edition of this event. These are what will make it a great holiday during which to relax and have fun, as well as play chess: football matches in the morning, one of which will be the by now traditional Italy vs. the rest of the world, single and doubles tennis matches, a tourist outing every morning, and night-time games of Texas Hold'em poker.
As far as the noble game is concerned, the program consists of: a blitz tournament, a "Tourbillon" tournament (a fun variation of chess that is played in couples), evening classes held by the pros invited to take place and a simultaneous exhibition during which you will be able to play one of the GMs of the tournament and also a RAPID chess tournament in the afternoon.
The partecipants will be divided into two groups, one with players who have Elo> 1900, and the other with players whose Elo< 2000. The registration fee will be discounted for those who enrol within the 30th April; for those staying at the Ecoresort "Le Sirenè" the price will be reduced even more if the enrolment is confirmed within the 28th February.
You can sign up at the page: REGISTRATION FORM, on this website, or by sending an email to info@chesspro.it and providing the payment through a bank transfer within the previously cited dates; for further information see the TOURNAMENT FLYER.
This year, like the previous, thanks to Caroli Hotels we have managed to obtain very advantageous hotel prices, especially considering the quality of the service offered by the Ecoresort "Le Sirenè", but we also offer a series of very good promotions to prompt italian players to choose the 5th Salento international open 2016 as the most important event to open the chess summer-season.
The most important of these are:
- of four people sojourning, one is free
- the enrolment free is free for Italian first-time players who are staying in the hotel
- under 16, seniors and Fide masters have special discounts
- transport from Brindisi airport and Lecce train station to the hall of games and back in the dates indicated on the tournament ban
As every year, the 2016 edition will host more than 14 players from different nations in the world. Though we can imagine your curiosity to know their names, we hope you understand that, because nothing is yet definite, these will only be released in January 2016.
This 5th edition's goal is also to be a way for young Italian players to test their skills and this is why players like Edoardo and Desiree Di Benedetto have been invited. These people have confirmed their presence.
We have the pleasure to communicate that WFM Yelizaveta Orlova has agreed to cover communication and everything that will be done in english during this edition of the tournament and before. She will also be participating as a player in the tournament. Orlova has many years of experience in this sector, as she has been the long time-standing female sector coordinator for the Canadian federation, she also used to play for the national female team and has founded and runs a chess club in Toronto.
We welcome you, Liza!
After 4 years, as this fifth edition is slowly taking form, we would like to take the occasion to express our gratitude to Caroli Hotels and to Comitato Regionale Puglia - FSI, for their support in making this event an unmissable part of the calendar of the Italian Chess Federation (FSI) and of the World Chess Federation (FIDE).
Hoping to see you in May 2016, we wish you a happy tournament!
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