"There is a lot to look forward to in Dortmund!"

 

WIM Fiona Steil-Antoni was already the live commentator at the International Dortmund Chess Days last year. Also for the anniversary she will explain the moves of the grandmasters in an entertaining way alongside GM Artur Jussupow. She herself also has emotional connections to Dortmund.

 

 

I very much enjoyed my time in Dortmund last year. For starters it was an honour getting to work with the one and only Artur Yusupov, and the players gave us a lot of exciting games to commentate on. After some pandemic years it was also nice to see so many chess players and fans under the same roof again, playing across the different events or just enjoying the grandmaster games – the atmosphere at the Westfalenhalle was great! Finally, as a football fan it was very nice to stay so close to the beautiful home of BVB Dortmund, yet also within walking distance to the city centre, which offers a lot of options in terms of eating out and other activities.

 

 

As I mentioned last year, the Dortmund Chess Days were the first ever supertournament I attended back in 2001. I was 12 years old at the time and visited for a few days with my father, watching the games and chasing the players for autographs. For this reason, I feel some emotional connection to the tournament. Besides this personal element, almost all the best players in the world have played in the Dortmund Chess Days and the tournament is a regular and popular fixture on the yearly chess tour. As the Chess Days turns 50, it makes the event one of the longest-running chess tournaments.

 

 

There is a lot to look forward to in Dortmund! Watching some of the best players in the world in action, online and onsite commentary, participating in a range of different tournaments, as well as enjoying all that the city of Dortmund has to offer.