EUROPEAN RAPID & BLITZ CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016

The European Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2016 will take place in Tallinn/Estonia, from 14-18 December, in Park Inn by Radisson Meriton Conference & Spa Hotel, which is the official venue of the Championship.

The Championships will be the main event of the Paul Keres 100 Festival, dedicated to the 100th birth anniversary of Paul Keres, Estonian Sportsman of the 20th century and often referred as “The Eternal Second” in the chess world, one of the greatest players of all time.

The event starts with the European Individual Rapid Chess Championship, which will be held on 15th and 16th December. The Rapid competition will be played according to the Swiss system, in 11 rounds, with the time control 15 minutes game + 10 seconds per move starting from the first move.

 The event will continue with the European Blitz Chess Championship, which will take place on 17th and 18th December. The Blitz competition will be played according to the Swiss system, in 13 paired rounds, with the time control 3 minutes game + 2 seconds per move starting from the first move.

Both Championships are open to all players representing Chess Federations which are ECU members (FIDE zones 1.1. to 1.10), regardless of their title and rating.

The total prize fund for the competitions will be €30,100 (€20,000 for the Rapid and €10,100 for the Blitz Championships).

So far, 294 players registered for Rapid competition, and 269 for the Blitz event. The top seed for both events is GM Teimour Radjabov from Azerbaijan (2788 Rapid rtg, 2800 Blitz rtg).

The registration deadline for both events is 15th November 2016, and registration process is made through the on-line system. Although it will be possible to register later, players who register after November 15 will be allowed to participate only in case free places are available and their entry fees will be doubled. Also, special conditions will not be granted to players who register later than November 15.

In order to popularize the event the organizers are offering special accommodating conditions for the top 20 seeds, as well as for the top 3 female players, along with an early registration, providing the highest standards in organizing.

The Estonian Chess Federation, in cooperation with the Republic of Estonia and the Estonian Olympic Committee organizes a year-round International Memorial Festival ‘Paul Keres 100’, which started on December 8 last year, with the International Youth Tournament “Chess Stars of the Baltic Sea Region” in Narva, the birthplace of the Estonian national hero, followed by several Paul Keres Memorial Tournaments in 2016, such as the 25th Keres Memorial – ACP Open, held on  7th January 2016, then Paul Keres 100 Memorial Tournament in Pärnu, 14-17 July, 2016, etc.

The final event of the festival will be the European Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship, which concludes the one year circuit.