Tomorrow an exciting battle will begin. Dutch grandmaster Giri has had a good year. He is third in the world ranking and will play the Candidates’ tournament in March, the winner of which will be world champion Carlsen’s new challenger. Giri still has to win his first major tournament. Will he be crowned winner in Wijk aan Zee on 31 January? People have high expectations. Among Dutch chess aficionados the first signs of ‘Orange fever’ have already been detected. 

Theo Henrar, chairman of the board of Tata Steel Nederland opened the tournament and emphasized how important chess is for young people: “It is good to see how popular chess is among young people. Anish Giri, who has become the official ambassador of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, will award the prizes to the winning teams of the Dutch Championship for Schools. During the tournament we have special programmes for young people, in Wijk aan Zee as well as at our host city locations in Amsterdam and Utrecht. And we are proud to host the premiere of documentary film “The Dream Multiplier”, produced by Kees Hoogeveen and Johan Wakkie in Amsterdam next week. This film tells the story of Mustapha Eljarmouni, who has singlehandedly succeeded in bridging cultural differences by letting children play chess together. Chess brings people together and we at Tata Steel are happy to be able to contribute to that.”

Steel and chess: creativity and innovation

The Tata Steel Chess Tournament has a long tradition. Starting as an employee tournament, it has grown into an international tournament of world class renown, for which grand masters and amateurs alike will clear their diaries.

Tata Steel has chosen for chess, because chess entails strategic thinking and focuses on finding creative solutions for complex issues. Steelmaking has that very same focus. It is a high-tech process with a crucial role for innovation. Tata Steel employees are continuously working on improving processes and products in order to help customers be successful in their markets while contributing to creating a sustainable society.

Among chess aficionados the tournament in Wijk aan Zee is known as ‘The Wimbledon of Chess’.  

For more information about the Tata Steel Chess Tournament (among which the playing schedules of the Tata Steel Masters and the Tata Steel Challengers): www.tatasteelchess.com

You can also follow the tournament on Twitter (@TataSteelChess) and Facebook (TataSteelChess).