The organizers of the 51st Biel International Chess Festival are delighted. After the announcement of the participation of the reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen last March, the 6 participants of the ACCENTUS Grandmaster Tournament are now all known. And the Norwegian favourite won't have it easy! Along with five-time winner Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France, World Nr. 6), Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan, World Nr. 3) will be a serious competitor for the tournament victory. Defending Russian champion Peter Svidler (World Nr. 14) will also have his say, knowing that he has often caused problems to Magnus Carlsen in the past. The Czech David Navara (World Nr. 24) and the 22-year-old Swiss Nico Georgiadis (Schindellegi) will complete the field.
The level of the tournament is thus comparable to the 2012 edition, although tournament director Yannick Pelletier adds: "The 51st edition will be much more prestigious due to the presence of the reigning World Champion and two other representatives of the world’s top ten".
ACCENTUS, main partner of the Grandmaster Tournament, also supports an event for the benefit of young chess players. 75 juniors under the age of 16 will be invited to three simultaneous tournaments on the penning day of July 21. This spectacular event will attract the attention of spectators and the media on the central square in Biel.
The Organising Committee of the Festival also welcomes the new Fischer Random Chess Tournament, which will take place every morning from July 23 to 29. This variation of chess, in which the starting position of the pieces is drawn by lot, requires less theoretical knowledge and allows players of all levels to compete against each other. The Physicians Tournament will be held for the fourth time this year and will take place on Sunday, 29 July.