Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept.25, / Trend /
The International Chess Tournament BAKU OPEN - 2012 is held at AF-HOTEL in Novkhani, with participation of 199 chess players from 11 countries. Participants of the tournament include such world chess stars as the winner of last year's tournament, Belarussian Grand Master Sergey Jigalko. The tournament favorites are Azerbaijani Grand Master Rauf Mammadov, Gadir Huseynov, Eltaj Safarli and others - prospective winners of the 2016 World Chess Olympiad. Azerbaijani delegation headed by Youth and Sports Minister brought the right to hold the Olympiad to Baku from Istanbul, head of the Republican Chess Center and Tournament Director Majid Efendiyev told Trend.
The International Children's Tournament, which is attended by 96 young chess players under age of 12, is held within this great event at the Republican Chess Center. By 2016, they will be able to be rival to today's grandees for a place in the national team, Efendiyev said.
He said the main organizers of the tournament are Azerbaijani Youth and Sports Ministry and the country's Chess Federation.
"We are grateful to all those who supported us in holding the children's tournament, thus taking care of our children - intellectual and chess future of the nation," Efendiyev said.
General sponsors of the Children's Tournament are: "KENAN İNSAAT VE TİCARET BM", "AZPETROL", "R.İ.SK", "AİRMED", "BEYNALXALQ SİGORTA SİRKETİ", "AZERSUN", "PALSUD" and "TOTAL".
Undoubtedly, BAKU OPEN, which has become a traditional international chess tournament, is an important rehearsal for the 2016 World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Efendiyev said.