Top chess talent checks in
Chess talent from across Britain is descending on Telford for the biggest event in the county's chess calendar - Shropshire Chess Congress - battling it out for a slice of a prize fund worth over £3,000.
Over 100 players including two Grandmasters and four International Masters are already signed up for the tournament which begins on Friday evening, January 5, and continues over the weekend at the premises of Wrekin Housing Trust.
A spokesman for Shropshire Chess Association said: "It's a sign of the competition's status that it attracts players from around the country. This year, for the first time, there are four different sections, giving local players more chances to get among the prize money.
"The strongest section is the Open and has a bumper first prize of £1,000 and while the favourites to win will be the Grandmasters, there is a separate prize for the Shropshire-based player who is highest placed in the section.
"A feature of the tournament is that some of the games are played on hi-tech chessboards meaning that people can follow the moves live on the internet through a link on the Shropshire chess website www.shropshirechess.org."
The competition has five rounds, with players paired in each round against opponents on equal points, meaning that in the climactic last game on Sunday afternoon the leading players will be going head-to-head.
