An international chess tournament for the Mayor's Cup has started in Irkutsk, opened by a symbolic game between Viktor Kondrashov and Sergei Rublevsky. 124 players are taking part, including 17 grandmasters, and athletes from several countries will compete for a prize fund of 500 thousand rubles. The tournament is held in the Swiss system, promising a tense battle among the leaders and in the other groups.
The tournament was opened with a “symbolic game” between the Mayor of Irkutsk, Viktor Kondrashov, and the four-time winner of the World Chess Olympiads, Sergey Rublevsky. The result of the game was a “draw.”This year, 124 chess players are taking part in the tournament, including 17 international grandmasters. The panel of judges is headed by international arbiter and Honored Coach of Russia Alexander Khasin from Novosibirsk. The Irkutsk Mayor’s Cup officially has the status of an international tournament: participants have come here from Germany, Belarus, and Latvia.
The total prize fund of the tournament will amount to 500,000 rubles. The competition is held under the Swiss system, in which after the very first round the weaker participants play for ranking positions, while the stronger ones battle each other for the prize fund.
Welcoming the chess players, Mayor Viktor Kondrashov noted that holding a tournament of this level in Irkutsk is an important event for our city.