Science Park Amsterdam (SPA) will host three chess tournaments from 14 to 22 July 2012. During the ACP Golden Classic Tournament, seven grandmasters, including international top chess players Gata Kamsky and Vassily Ivanchuk, will compete against each other. The Dutch National Chess Championships and the open chess tournament SPA Chess will also take place in the Universum sports centre of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Hogeschool van Amsterdam, University of Applied Sciences (HVA).

Chess world back in Amsterdam

SPA Chess is being organised by Jeroen van den Berg, the former tournament director of the Amsterdam Chess Tournament (ACT). He felt it was a shame that there had not been a large open tournament in Amsterdam for a number of years. His call was answered by the UvA’s Faculty of Science (FNWI) which, in cooperation with Universum and Science Park Amsterdam, helped make the SPA Chess tournament possible.

In the summer of 2011, the first SPA Chess was organised with almost 300 participants. The positive reactions to the location and the atmosphere at SPA were two of the main reasons that the Royal Dutch Chess Federation is holding the Dutch National Chess Championships at SPA this year. The UvA and SPA have also pledged their full cooperation to this tournament, which will take place in the same week as SPA Chess and the ACP Golden Classic Tournament.

About Science Park Amsterdam

Science Park Amsterdam has developed into the largest science complex in the Netherlands. SPA provides space for internationally-renowned research institutes, the FNWI and nearly one hundred companies (in the fields of ICT and Life Sciences).

Opening

On Saturday, 14 July, the tournaments will officially start.

13:00
Opening of SPA Chess tournament and ACP Golden Classic Tournament

15:30
Opening of Dutch National Chess Championships by Thijs Reuten, city councillor for Amsterdam Oost, Municipality of Amsterdam.

You are welcome to attend the two opening cermonies in the Universum, Science Park 306. On Sunday, 15 July, the Stichting Schaakschool (Chess school Foundation) will organise a simultaneous chess match for children up to the age of 14 in the Indische Buurt district of Amsterdam at 11:00, in the presence of Nevin Özütok, city councillor for Amsterdam Oost, Municipality of Amsterdam.

Further information

For information about tournaments and live registration of the matches which start every day at 13.:00, please see link below.