The traditionalLeon Chess Festivalwill be played online this year on Chess.com, July 10-18. Up to four different events will take place: a Masters tournamentwith four very strong grandmasters, an open blitz tournamentwhere the eight top finishers will qualify for a knockout final, a simultaneous exhibition with 25 boards by the Cuban-born GMLeinier Dominguez, and a closed tournament with four of the most promising upcoming stars of the chess world.
The four events will be broadcast onTwitch, YouTubeandChess.com/tv. All the games can be followed in real-time onChess.com/live.
The Masters Tournament will be heldJuly10-12.This event has always been remarkable for having some of the most attractive names of the chess world competing against each other, and this year will be no exception. In this 33rd edition, one of the best players in the world, a chess legend, a rising star, and a very strong local grandmaster will fight for the prestigious title.
The Masters chess tournament will have the following participants:
The tournament formatconsists of two semifinals, one of which is set to be played on July 10, whereas the other will be played on July 11. The winners of this round will face each other in the superfinal on July 12. The top seeds have the privilege of choosing their opponents for the semifinal. The colors for the first game will be determined by a drawing of lots taking place on July 9.
The time controlfor the four games is 20 minutes plus a 10-second increment after each move. In the case of a tie, two additional games of 5+3 will be played, and if the tie still remains, a final armaggedon game will decide the match in which colors will be assigned by chance.
On July 13, GM Dominguez will play in a simultaneous exhibitionagainst a total of 25 opponents. Some of them are public figures connected to the world of culture and sports.
Both the festival organizers and Chess.com will gift the lucky participants with Diamond accounts, and the best game will receive a giant board as a prize.
The fifth International Chess Open will be played on July 14 in Chess.com/live. We are expecting a big list of participants. You can join the tournament up to an hour before the starting time.
A total of14 rounds will be played, with a time control of 3 minutes plus a 2-secondincrement. In order to be eligible to win prizes, players will be required to have their real names on their profile and be ready to join a zoom call and share their computer screens upon request.
Those finishing among the first eight will play a knockout tournament on July 15, while playersfinishing ninth and 10th will earn a total of 100 euros each.
The top eight finishers that participate in the knockout tournament on July 15 will fight for the following cashprizes:
Taxes apply to those prizes over 300.
On July16, 17, and 18some of the most promising rising stars of the chess worldwill compete in this event, which has a similar format to that of the Masters. Two semifinals are played on July 16 and 17, whereas the superfinal takes place on July 18. Each match will consist of four games with a time control of 20 minutes plus 10 seconds increment after every move.
In addition to a prize fund of3,000 euros, the winner of this event will receive an invitation for the next Masters edition. The field is as follows:
Lecture by Leontxo Garca
The renowned chess journalist Leontxo Garca will give a video lecture in which he will go over the different editions of the festival held up to the present day, sharing historic interviews and pictures. No one knows the chess scene better than him, so he is the right person to put the importance of this event over the years into perspective.
The lecture will be published on YouTube, social media, and elsewhere.
"El inversor inquieto" chess and finance contest
A new edition of this popular chess and finance contest will also take place. This contest is based on four basic principles that affect analysis and decision making, both in chess andfinance: INITIATIVE, CAUTION, PATIENCE, AND OBJECTIVITY. Entry will be free and the winners will be awarded interesting prizes. You can find more information here.
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