The participant lists for the Open of the 49th International Dortmund Chess Days continue to fill up, so that there are already more than 180 registrations well over 3 months before the start of the tournament. Two renowned grandmasters from the region are newly pre-registered: Daniel Hausrath, winner of the A-Open in 2016 and 2017, will strive for his third tournament victory. Hausrath not only lives in Mülheim an der Ruhr, but has also played for SV Mülheim-Nord in the first Bundesliga since 2004. He has won numerous tournaments in the region and is always one of the most popular players in NRW. He has made a name for himself not only as a chess player, but also as a chess trainer and book author.
In addition, GM Florian Handke, another of the strongest chess players in the region, will take part in the Sparkassen Open. Handke has held the grandmaster title since 2003. A judge by profession, he is a regular player for the SG Solingen in the Bundesliga. His current rating is 2539, which puts him slightly ahead of Hausrath (2480) in fifth place on the Elorang list. It is already clear that the tournament will not only be attractive from a sporting and personal point of view, but will also offer title norm opportunities for up-and-coming players. Anyone with a rating of 1900 or more can still register for Open A, while Open B, with almost 100 registrations already, offers the right tournament for ratings up to 1900. The list of participants for both open tournaments, headed by GM Niclas Huschenbeth, can always be found here: List of participants