The 9th International Chess Festival was held in Nancy (France) on 12 and 13 of March 2011. The Blitz tournament took place on Saturday, over 11 rounds of Swiss system and with time control 4 min + 2 sec. GM Laurent Fressinet crowned the fantastic form with 10.5 points and clear first place. He earned 500 EUR for this effort. Second was Arkadij Naiditsch with 9.0 points, while Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Georg Meier shared the third with 8.5 each.

The Rapid was played on Sunday, over 9 rounds of Swiss system and with time control of 15 min (+3 sec per move) per player. GM Daniel Fridman is the sole winner with 7.5 points and takes the first prize of 1000 EUR. Second place with 7.0 points each is shared by Ulf Andersson, Maxim Turov, Laurent Fressinet, Arkadij Naiditsch, Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Georg Meier. As top local finisher, Laurent Fressinet is also declared the 2011 French champion in rapid chess.

GM Etienne Bacrot hosted a simultaneous exhibition on 20 boards and scored 18 wins and two draws.

More information on the official website.