The 51st edition of the International Chess Festival Biel will be exceptional. The organizing committee has managed to secure the participation of World Champion Magnus Carlsen (NOR)! The ACCENTUS Grand Master Tournament will be stronger than ever.
A reigning World Champion has rarely played in Switzerland. This will happen next summer at the 51st Biel International Chess Festival! Magnus Carlsen has participated in the famous GM Tournament on numerous occasions and even won it twice. But the Norwegian had never come as the World Champion, since he clinched the highest title in 2013.
Following the beautiful jubilee edition in 2017, the organizers managed to raise their standards even more. The main event of the Festival will be held with its traditional system of 6 players facing each other twice. It will witness the return of 5-time winner Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA), actual Nr 5 of the World ranking, and the participation of young Swiss GM Nico Georgiadis, who had excelled last year on the stage of the Congress Hall. The President of the Organizing Committee Peter Bohnenblust states that “The Biel International Chess Festival is delighted with the support of the ACCENTUS Foundation as the main sponsor of the GM Tournament”. The complete field will be communicated at a later stage.
The Festival will be held from July 21, until August 1, 2018 and will feature 10 competitions. As a novelty of this edition, a “Fischer Random Tournament” with long time control will take place from July 23, till 29. All rounds will be played in the morning, so that participants will have the possibility to combine chess and holidays, while occasionally following the games of the World Champion in the afternoon.
Once again, all eyes will be turned toward Biel this summer!
