Corsica, famous for being the birthplace of Napoléon Bonaparte, is also famous for being the land of chess. L’île de beauté (Isle of beauty) us again a host to a powerful event. The 15th “Corsican Circuit” will be held 22-29 October in Bastia and 31 October in Ajaccio.
The Corsica Masters 2011 is once again one of the top events of the season, and this is proven by the participation of more than 700 players and Vishy Anand (simul). The 15 top players of the youth tournament, another 15 by draw, and another 30 from the main tournament will face the World Champion.
The chief organizer of the Corsican Chess Circuit Léo Battesti commented, “In 1997, we had already achieved a great tournament. But Corsica had only a fistful of amateurs. Today our island breaks the world record per capita in this area. With 5375 licensees among a population of 300 000 inhabitants, the environment is quite not the same as it used to be. This dynamic is greatly strengthened by this event. It’s indeed a perfect illustration of a chess policy based on the mass development and its positive impact in all areas.”
More information on the official website
The amazing thing about Corsica, besides the tradition and constant expansion, is how they manage to maintain the prize fund in times of crisis. The main section has 60 000 eur prizes, while the total prize fund is 95 000 eur
“If in a difficult economic environment, we maintain the same level of prizes (95 000 €), thus this is not by chance, says Léo Battesti. “The number of sponsors replaces all doubts: 124 ! The impact of the event is considerable. Hundreds of young people who will participate in this festival are also a beautiful symbol and probably the best way to welcome our friends from the five continents. Among them, the World Chess Champion, Vishy Anand and many IGM : Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Ivan Cheparinov, Sasikiran Krishnan, Wesley So, Laurent Fressinet, Gawain Jones, Pavel Tregubov, Mark Paragua, Nenad Sulava, Joseph Sanchez, Vasif Dubarbeyli, Glenn Flear, Vladimir Malaniuk, etc.”
Official website: http://www.corse-echecs.com/
