Three of the world’s best chess players are headed to the Hawaiian island of Oahu in March to take part in the “Hawaii Grandmaster Challenge” – a four player round robin invitational tournament being put on to help kick start a local scholastic chess academy.
One lucky amateur player will win entry to the tournament and the chance to challenge the three world-class grandmasters via an online crowd funding promotion and contest, further detailed at www.ChessVacation.com.
Besides competing in the tournament (at a suitable time handicap based on his or her rating), the contest winner will receive a portion of the $10,000 prize fund, a flight to Hawaii, seven nights hotel room and other prizes.
Headlined by Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan, the Grandmaster Challenge will be broadcast online and is expected to generate widespread international interest, especially in China.
The other two International Grandmaster participants are Timur Gareev, widely known for his ability to give large simultaneous blindfold displays, and Samuel Shankland, the highest rated player in the world among those born and based in the USA. “Shanky” was in the news earlier this year for his exceptional gold-medal performance at the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Tromso.
The tournament will be the main and final event at the 2015 Hawaii Chess Festival, taking place from March 14th-22nd and centered at the Hilton Waikiki Beach in Honolulu.
Other events during the Festival include the Hawaii State Scholastic Championships, a “Chess Day at Magic Island”, and an International Open tournament open to players of all ages and abilities.
Complete details on the Hawaii Grandmaster Challenge, as well as the fundraising promotion to seed a Hawaii Chess Academy are online at www.ChessVacation.com. More info on the Hawaii Chess Festival is at www.HawaiiChessFestival.com.
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The Hawaii Chess Federation is a 501(c)3 and the state affiliate of the United States Chess Federation, the governing body of chess in the United States.
