site.btaInternational Christmas Chess Tournament to Be Held in Sandanski

A Christmas chess tournament will be held in Sandanski, southwestern Bulgaria, on December 23. The competition will bring together some 140 chess players from Bulgaria, the Republic of North Macedonia, Greece, Luxembourg and Ukraine, including five international grandmasters, Stefan Davidov, president of Davidov Chess Club, told BTA.

The tournament will go in three phases. Professional players with an ELO of over 2,000 are eligible to participate in the first phase. The second phase will challenge chess players with an international rating of less than 2000, mainly amateurs. In the third phase, children up to 14 years of age will take part, chess arbiter Ventsislav Inkyov explained.

Davidov added that the tournament is held under the patronage of Sandanski Municipality and is organized for the fourth consecutive year.