Ciudad de Dos Hermanas at ICC

Now in its tenth consecutive year, the annual "Ciudad de Dos Hermanas" 2009, the biggest and best online blitz tournament is set to be hosted March 13th to 21st yet again on the Internet Chess Club. You can play one of the qualifiers till and including Wednesday.

The cash prize fund amounts to EUR 7,600 (about $9,600), with Euro 2,000 (roughly $2,500) first prize, plus additional class prizes and ICC membership prizes for amateur players. Entry is completely FREE for all but you DO need to be a member of ICC to play!

This is one of the most important Internet chess tournaments in the world with the last three editions boasting an entry of over 4,000 players from all over the world. Will two-time winner IM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun make it a third successive victory this year, or will one of the many top grandmasters who have played in the past, such as Shahriyar Mamedyarov, Tigran L. Petrosian, Gata Kamsky, Hikaru Nakamura, Kiril Georgiev, Jan Gustafsson or Sergey Shipov stop his winning run?

As in previous editions, the playing system will be twelve 12-round Swiss qualifiers (3 minutes per game). Qualifiers are held twice a day from March 13th to March 18th, with the finals being held on March 20th & 21st. The 12 qualifier winners plus the 20 best scores qualify to the 32-player KO final.

Even if you are not aiming to win a prize, this tournament gives you a unique chance to face world class players! Make sure to register early! Your registration is valid for all qualifiers, but you do not need to play all. Full rules, guidelines and registrations can be found at our special Dos Hermanas website.

John Henderson ICC