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St. Petersburg is the cradle of the Russian school of chess. The patriarch Mikhail Chigorin (1850-1908) was a major source of inspiration for several generations of Russian and Soviet players who dominated the world stage in the 1940s-1990s.
Such chess stars as Igor Bondarevski, Mikhail Botvinnik, Lyudmila Rudenko, Mark Taimanov, Boris Spassky, Piotr Svidler and many others lived and achieved their greatest success in St. Petersburg (Leningrad). However, the favorite prodigal son of this city is undoubtedly Viktor Korchnoi.
After the fall of the Soviet regime, Korchnoi made a triumphal return to the city of his birth and he made trips there to be welcomed by the worshiping crowd almost every year. Thus, it is very fitting that after the death of this chess titan his hometown started a great international event, the Viktor Korchnoi Memorial, which has already become one of the best organized tournaments in Russia.
I have the privilege of being on site for the Viktor Korchnoi 2018 Memorial. The official hotel is located in a beautiful setting in the middle of an urban forest, close to the new FC Zenit arena built for the FIFA World Cup. Because the Korchnoi Memorial is part of a huge chess festival called "The St. Petersburg Summer 2018", there are several other events going on before, after and in parallel, like The Children's Cup of Russia, Fischer chess, the international Blitz tournament and of course the Grand Prix of Russia in Rapid Chess. So, the hotel is completely filled by chess players (a "room and board" format) which makes an unforgettable experience. The organizers really do everything to meet the players’ needs; there are free transfers, a wonderful cultural program including a boat ride along the Neva River and the canals, and of course, playing conditions are fantastic.
Watch a short video - we are in a circular conference room with a skylight on the top floor.
http://otelpark.ru/about/
The lighting and air circulation are remarkable. The chairs are super comfortable, the rooms are wooden, up to fifteen (!) boards are broadcast live, and there is a professional doctor on duty in the playing hall all the time.
There is only one round per day - a luxury we can not afford in the Americas. The games always start at 5 p.m., allowing you to explore the "Venice of the North" on foot or in a tourist bus in the morning and to participate in its rich and varied nightlife after the round.
This year, the tournament brings together 268 players from 21 federations including France, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Vietnam etc. There are 91 titled players including 24 GMs (22 players with FIDE ratings greater than 2500) and norms are always possible. The headliner in 2018 is the American GM Gata Kamsky, also born in Leningrad.
http://chess-results.com/tnr371856.aspx?lan=20
The Russian press follows the event:
http://ruchess.ru/news/all/v_severno...burgskoe_leto/
The organizers and staff of the hotel speak English and German. Some arbiters, including your humble servant, also speak French. Players from all over the world are welcomed with open arms and made feel welcome and appreciated. If a Canadian player thinks of taking a chess trip to Europe in the summer that combines a strong tournament and a world-class city, I would strongly recommend coming to the Viktor Korchnoi Memorial.
The official site is here (Russian and English):
http://spbchesstournaments.com/memor...peterburgleto/
If you prefer to travel in the autumn and to take part in an even bigger tournament that is going on for over twenty years already, the same team from the Saint Petersburg Chess Federation cordially invites you to the Mikhail Chigorin Memorial every October.
To be continued…
Such chess stars as Igor Bondarevski, Mikhail Botvinnik, Lyudmila Rudenko, Mark Taimanov, Boris Spassky, Piotr Svidler and many others lived and achieved their greatest success in St. Petersburg (Leningrad). However, the favorite prodigal son of this city is undoubtedly Viktor Korchnoi.
After the fall of the Soviet regime, Korchnoi made a triumphal return to the city of his birth and he made trips there to be welcomed by the worshiping crowd almost every year. Thus, it is very fitting that after the death of this chess titan his hometown started a great international event, the Viktor Korchnoi Memorial, which has already become one of the best organized tournaments in Russia.
I have the privilege of being on site for the Viktor Korchnoi 2018 Memorial. The official hotel is located in a beautiful setting in the middle of an urban forest, close to the new FC Zenit arena built for the FIFA World Cup. Because the Korchnoi Memorial is part of a huge chess festival called "The St. Petersburg Summer 2018", there are several other events going on before, after and in parallel, like The Children's Cup of Russia, Fischer chess, the international Blitz tournament and of course the Grand Prix of Russia in Rapid Chess. So, the hotel is completely filled by chess players (a "room and board" format) which makes an unforgettable experience. The organizers really do everything to meet the players’ needs; there are free transfers, a wonderful cultural program including a boat ride along the Neva River and the canals, and of course, playing conditions are fantastic.
Watch a short video - we are in a circular conference room with a skylight on the top floor.
http://otelpark.ru/about/
The lighting and air circulation are remarkable. The chairs are super comfortable, the rooms are wooden, up to fifteen (!) boards are broadcast live, and there is a professional doctor on duty in the playing hall all the time.
There is only one round per day - a luxury we can not afford in the Americas. The games always start at 5 p.m., allowing you to explore the "Venice of the North" on foot or in a tourist bus in the morning and to participate in its rich and varied nightlife after the round.
This year, the tournament brings together 268 players from 21 federations including France, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Vietnam etc. There are 91 titled players including 24 GMs (22 players with FIDE ratings greater than 2500) and norms are always possible. The headliner in 2018 is the American GM Gata Kamsky, also born in Leningrad.
http://chess-results.com/tnr371856.aspx?lan=20
The Russian press follows the event:
http://ruchess.ru/news/all/v_severno...burgskoe_leto/
The organizers and staff of the hotel speak English and German. Some arbiters, including your humble servant, also speak French. Players from all over the world are welcomed with open arms and made feel welcome and appreciated. If a Canadian player thinks of taking a chess trip to Europe in the summer that combines a strong tournament and a world-class city, I would strongly recommend coming to the Viktor Korchnoi Memorial.
The official site is here (Russian and English):
http://spbchesstournaments.com/memor...peterburgleto/
If you prefer to travel in the autumn and to take part in an even bigger tournament that is going on for over twenty years already, the same team from the Saint Petersburg Chess Federation cordially invites you to the Mikhail Chigorin Memorial every October.
To be continued…
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