Rincón de la Victoria opens the registration period for the 2nd Blitz Chess Marathon, which expects more than a hundred participants from across the country.

Rincón de la Victoria will host the II Blitz Chess Marathon, which will take place on April 26th with the participation of more than a hundred players from different parts of the country. The tournament will distribute 2,000 euros in prizes, with 500 euros for the tournament winner.

The sports event is organized by the Sports Council of Rincón de la Victoria City Hall, in collaboration with the Victoria Chess Club. The II Blitz Chess Marathon will be held at the Municipal Covered Pavilion Rubén Ruzafa, in Torre de Benagalbón.

Chess has gained significant importance in popular culture in recent years, thanks to series like The Queen's Gambit available on Netflix, where the protagonist Anya Taylor-Joy, playing Beth Harmon, breaks stereotypes, highlighting women's participation in a traditionally male-dominated field, and boosting interest in learning and practicing chess both in educational and recreational spaces.

"This second edition is consolidated by the high level of play recorded in the previous edition"

Therefore, the Sports Councilor, Antonio José Martín, has noted that "this is the second edition of this marathon, which is consolidated after last year's success and the high level of play recorded". The mayor of Rincón de la Victoria, Francisco Salado, has highlighted "the importance of promoting chess practice, a sport that brings together participants of all ages, both professionals and amateurs".

The president of the Victoria Chess Club, Sonia Lara, has thanked the City Council for its support and expressed that “we are very excited to organize this event again, which offers more spectacular chess due to the pace of play, which, combined with the number of games played in a single day, attracts the interest of many participants drawn to this less common competitive mode”.

The tournament will be played using the Dutch Swiss system, in a single group of 17 rounds, with a game pace of 4 minutes plus 3 seconds increment per move. It will be valid for FIDE Blitz ELO, the official scoring system, and the ELO of the Andalusian Chess Federation (FADA). Pairings will be made using the VegaChess computer program.

Players with a valid federative license can participate

The day will begin at 10:00 AM with the reception of the players. After the publication of the pairings, the first round will start, with games continuing throughout the day. In addition to cash prizes, trophies and awards will be given by categories, including age, ELO, and female category.

Registrations are now open and can be made through the email clubajedrezvictoria@gmail.com. The deadline will end at 23:59 on April 23rd, or until full capacity is reached. Players with a valid federative license listed on the GEFE platform can participate. Federated players from outside Andalusia must register in the corresponding section (enabled, registration and inquiry, new enabled).