London hosts chess championship
December 9, 2009
London’s Olympia will play host to what is said to be the countries biggest chess tournament in a quarter of a century. The London Chess Classic will see players from around the world go head to head in an event which is set to last for eight days. Amongst those competing will be the country’s four grandmasters David Howell, Luke McShane, Michael Adams and Nigel Short. Short, England’s top player said that he was extremely excited about being able to play in a tournament in front of a home crowd. He went on to say that the game of chess is all about self-control and patience and that these are skills that are also useful in everyday life. He said that he thought it was pleasing that so many schools had already decided to attend the event.
World number two, Magnus Carlsen will also be playing at the event. At just nineteen-years-old the Norwegian so impressed World Champion Gary Kasparov that he decided to take himself out of retirement so that he could coach the prodigy. Mr. Carlsen has already been tipped to take Kasparov’s crown in the future.
It is hoped that the London Chess Classic will raise awareness of a game that is already played regularly by 400,000 adults in the U.K. It is also hoped that a successful tournament will increase London’s chances of being chosen to play host to the World Championships in 2012. Boris Johnson said that the tournament was the perfect opportunity to see some of the world’s finest chess players in action.
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