The World Trade Centre in Poznań is hosting a ten-day chess festival for grandmasters, experienced players, young talents and children. For many of the youngest participants, it is an opportunity to compete in a professional chess tournament for the first time. The Schmidt Chess Festival runs until 28 July.
This year’s edition consists of four tournaments that differ in format, playing level and participants’ age groups: the 3rd GM Włodzimierz Schmidt Memorial, the 4th IM Zbigniew Doda Memorial, the PBS Open and the Enea Operator Power Chess Tournament.
The first games were played on Saturday, 18 July, when the open tournaments got underway. Two days later, competition began in the memorial events.
Official opening of the memorial tournaments
The participants of the 3rd GM Włodzimierz Schmidt Memorial and the 4th IM Zbigniew Doda Memorial were welcomed by Filip Kolendo, Vice-President of the Lech Poznań Chess Club, and Hanna Ereńska-Barlo, Poland’s first Woman Grandmaster and a former student and close associate of Włodzimierz Schmidt.
Ereńska-Barlo’s presence at the event was especially meaningful. Throughout her chess career, she worked closely with Schmidt, who served as her coach and mentor during many of the most important national and international tournaments. During the opening ceremony, she recalled how his knowledge, experience and coaching methods played a vital role in shaping her career and achievements.
Ten players and a chance to earn a Grandmaster norm
The strongest players are competing in the 3rd GM Włodzimierz Schmidt Memorial. The tournament is played in a round-robin format, meaning that every participant faces each of the other competitors once. With ten players in the field, each competitor will play nine games.
The stakes are high. In addition to competing for tournament victory, players also have an opportunity to achieve a Grandmaster norm, an important step towards earning the prestigious Grandmaster title.
Three experienced Grandmasters are taking part in the event: Robert Kempiński of Poland, Borys Chatalbashev of Denmark and Eduard Rozentalis of Latvia.
The presence of such accomplished players enhances the tournament’s prestige and provides younger competitors with a valuable opportunity to test themselves against experienced international opponents.
The open format of the Zbigniew Doda Memorial
The 4th International Master Zbigniew Doda Memorial has attracted 28 participants. The tournament is played in an open format and features several invited Grandmasters. Players compete against opponents with similar scores throughout the event.
Among the leading participants are Grandmasters Ibragim Khamrakulov of Spain, Artem Omelja of Ukraine and Mikuláš Maník of Slovakia.
Open tournaments for different generations
The Festival is not only addressed to the most accomplished titled chess players. The most important part of the event consists of two open competitions dedicated to players at different stages of their development.
PBS Open is intended for those who are at least second category players and have earned Fide rating in classic chess. The Enea Open powers chess is dedicated to children born in 2012 or later, with a second or lower chess category.
This format makes it possible to bring together different generations at the chessboards in World Trade Centre. From grandmasters with many years of experience to the youngest participants who already began their chess journey.
More of the games still ahead
The competition in PBS Open and Enea Operator powers chess will continue until 26 July. Two of the memorial tournament ends on Tuesday, 28th July. On that day we will learn the names of the winners of the competitions commemorating Wlodzimierz Schmidt and Zbigniew Doda.
The main organizer of the Festival is the Lech Poznan Chess Club. The main sponsor is Primesoft Polska, while the sponsors of the other tournaments are SGB Poznan Bank and Enea Operator.
We invite you to follow the upcoming matches, results and broadcast published on our website and social media.
Below we showcase the highlights from the first days of chess battles in World Trade Centre.
