It left Perugia in February, and then stopped in Todi and Acquasparta. From Friday 12th to Sunday 14th July the Umbria chess Grand Prix will arrive in Amelia. The setting of Palazzo Petrignani welcomes the players. 150 chess players from all over Italy and abroad are expected.
International tournament Born from the passion of Sergio Rocchetti, this year the tournament is organized by the amateur sports association ‘A Gonfie Vele’, which manages the entire Grand Prix and of which Rocchetti himself is president. The intent is to promote chess and the territory, giving the world postcards from the most beautiful villages in Umbria. Among those writing to the tournament is also the 22-year-old international maestro Edoardo Di Benedetto, already a protagonist in Amelia in previous editions and who will hold a simultaneous performance inside the Agorà room on Saturday 13 July, in which one can attend or take part with a small contribution of registration.
Not just chess During the tournament at Palazzo Petrignani, the meeting between chess and art is also scheduled thanks to the first festival ‘Chess and photography in the city of Amelia’, a competition reserved for chess-themed photographic works of art which will be exhibited inside the Russo pastry shop of Amelia. The jury of the photo competition will be made up of the same chess players participating in the tournament who will vote using a specific ballot. And not only that: all the trophies up for grabs were commissioned by ‘A Gonfe Vele’ to the children of the psycho-emotional recovery center in Porchiano, which has been committed for years to making the lives of people with complex disabilities better. A concrete way to bring marginalized people closer to the world of sport and institutions. The prizes, therefore, will all be original and handcrafted pieces, perfect in their imperfections and above all capable of binding the athlete with the territory that has rewarded him.
Other events scheduled Among the numerous curiosities on the programme, there is also the live streaming of the most important matches with Fide maestro Nicolò Napoli, who will follow the matches and commentate them technically thanks to the electronic chessboards connected via wifi: like watching the match on TV with the commentary. An absolute first for Italy, then, is the collaboration with ‘Sunrise Chess and Games’, an online chess material store based in Poland which sponsors the entire circuit with gaming material and technical prizes. Move to white Friday 12 July at 5.30pm: for further information, for the complete announcement with all the details of the tournament and to register https://vesus.org/event/F62FiZrq.
