Junior competition heralds new chess season

January will see the start of another season full of chess activities.

In accordance with the Malta Chess Federation youth policy, the season will be starting with a rapid tournament for juniors (U-14s).

Taking advantage of the Christmas holidays, games will be played between Thursday and Saturday.

Players born after January 1, 1988 can apply to the federation secretary by phoning 21-313798 or e-mail at chessmalta@kemmunet.net.mt.

The traditional Juniors vs Seniors match will then be played on Sunday at the federation's premises in Sliema, starting at 9.30 a.m. This is a fun event held annually and everyone, whether old or new, may attend.

In the last few years, the seniors have regularly won this contest over their younger counterparts. However, an upcoming new crop of players is breaking through the ranks and this year's event should prove an exciting one.

The annual prize-giving ceremony is being held on Saturday, January 25 in St Julian's.

Among those being rewarded for their achievements during 2002, one finds current Malta champion Peter Sammut Briffa, Rapid Grand Prix winner FIDE Master Geoffrey Borg, and the winner of the first Category Duncan Vella.

The federation is stepping up its activities this year to reflect the increasing awareness on chess. For the first time a Blitz Grand Prize is being held every third Sunday of the month.

Blitz chess is an exciting format of five-minute games that offers both players and spectators fast action not usually associated with a classic chess game but which is becoming increasingly more popular worldwide.

Together with the Rapid Chess Grand Prix, which this year will also be held on the first Sunday of each month, the federation, like its international counterparts, is providing local players with an opportunity to participate in all the official formats of chess. Both the Blitz and Rapid events start in February and will run through October.

Other official events which will be held this season are the Malta Chess Championship Cycle (in three stages - Preliminaries, Candidates and Finals), the Junior Championships, the Inter-Schools Competition and the Categories (a league with three divisions).

Besides these, the federation is also assisting a number of organisers who will be holding tournaments and school competitions throughout the year. All this activity certainly augurs well for the run-up to the next bi-annual Chess Olympiads which will be played in Minorca, Spain, in 2004.