Dortmund aims for a new participation record

For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, the International Dortmund Chess Days will again be a chess festival for everyone from 16 to 24 July 2022: There will be both an open A-Open from a playing strength of 1900 DWZ/Elo and a B-Open for players up to 1900 DWZ/Elo in the congress centre of the Westfalenhallen Dortmund.
IPS e.V. as the organiser is aiming for a new participation record. At the legendary event in 1992 - the 20th International Dortmund Chess Days - a total of 541 participants were at the table at the same venue in the various performance classes of the Open. This year, a new record of 600 participants is being aimed for in Dortmund.
For the first time in many years, international title holders will be invited to the A-Open to ensure that FIDE standards can be achieved. As the "Hotel of the Grandmasters", the Mercure Westfalenhallen Dortmund is offering special conditions to all participants under the keyword "IPS".
Admission to the top tournaments "NC World Masters" and "Deutschland Grand Prix" will be free for all players, as well as to the junior tournaments of the NRW Youth Cup and other events during the Chess Days. IPS will announce more details about these events in the second half of February.

Former Lord Mayor promotes the game with fairtrade chess boards

Ullrich Sierau has been enthusiastic about chess for over 50 years. And as Lord Mayor of Dortmund he has experienced many exciting political chess moves. He experienced the game itself at first hand in particular through the annual events of the Dortmund International Chess Days.
As ambassador of the Sparkassen Chess Trophy, he is already looking forward to an exciting festival in 2022 and, among other things, promotes the game of chess with fairly traded African chess boards and pieces from Kisii/ Kenya.
 
"For me, chess is one of the most intelligent and fairest sports of all - with respect for the opponent and, in the truest sense of the word, always on an equal footing," says the newly minted Dortmund entrepreneur. His commitment to the fair-trade, special chess boards from Kenya fits in with this. This is one of his many voluntary activities and exemplifies his commitment to fair world trade.

The event team is very happy about the support and the new addition of the ambassador to the team. Today, Sierau is a self-employed entrepreneur as managing director of the consulting company AMBISCARA INSPIRATION in Dortmund Hörde, located in the Hörder Burg on Lake Phoenix-See in Dortmund.

Picture: Thomas Kampmann

Save the date: Sparkassen Chess Trophy from 16 - 24 July 2022 at the Westfalenhallen Dortmund

The chess world can look forward to a chess festival in the heart of the Ruhr region in 2022: The 49th International Dortmund Chess Days will take place as Germany's most prestigious tournament, as this year in the Dortmund Congress Centre of the Westfalenhallen.

Vladimir Kramnik with an interview during Sparkassen Chess Trophy 2021

Within the framework of the 48th International Dortmund Chess Days in Dortmund, press officer Patrick Zelbel conducted an extensive interview with Vladimir Kramnik. The 14th World Chess Champion of chess history gives insights into his retirement, his motivation to sit down at the board again for the "No Castling" format and explains the ideas behind this chess variant.