Chess champions make their move

THE international kings and queens of chess arrived in Cork yesterday ahead of the largest chess competition ever held in Ireland.

More than 100 of Europe’s top players registered yesterday for the European Union Chess Championships which opens in the city this morning.

Among them was three-times US chess champion Joel Benjamin who consulted with IBM on their Deep Blue project - the computer chess programme that beat chess legend Garry Kasparov. Benjamin is married to an Irish woman.

Resident Irish GM Alex Bubarin, reigning Irish Champion FIDE Master Joe Ryan and local player Alex Lopez will also be competing this morning.

Organised in conjunction with Cork Chess Club as part of Cork’s European Capital of Culture celebrations, the event has attracted International Masters, Masters, and FIDE Masters from 22 countries including Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, England, Cyprus, Germany, Sweden, Holland and Italy.

“For Ireland to stage an inaugural European Championship of this calibre is a major coup, and I am especially pleased that we have been able to do so in Cork during 2005,” tournament director and Cork Chess Club chairman Michael Burniston said.

Cork 2005 director John Kennedy said: “Cork 2005 is delighted to have worked with the Cork Chess Club in planning this Euro tournament in Ireland as part of Cork 2005.”

Mr Burniston said if a major sponsor was found, there was no reason why Cork could not stage a similar tournament every year.

The EU championship is just the start of a two-week festival of chess in Cork.

The 13th Annual Cork Chess Congress starts on April 1. Approximately 1,250 games will be played across the two tournaments.

Both tournaments take place in the Gresham Metropole Hotel and admission is free. The top games will also be broadcast live on the internet on www.corkchess.com.