Vung Tau ready for World Youth Chess Championship
Preparations for Vietnam to host the 2008 World Youth Chess Championship are well underway ahead of the event in the southern beach city Vung Tau, local authorities said this week.
A provincial official revealed the host city had almost completed the work required to host the international event from October 19 to 30.
Sponsorship was still being finalized, he said.
The tournament, endorsed by the World Chess Federation (FIDE), will cost the city an estimated US$1.5 million.
FIDE has promised financial assistance of $600,000 and the host city will foot $900,000 of the bill.
However, the city currently only has $200,000 available to spend on the event.
The People’s Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province is cooperating with CIAT Advertising & Trade Joint-stock Co., a local professional event organizer, to cover the remaining sum.
During the international chess tournament, held in Vietnam for the first time, players will compete under the Swiss system in six age categories of Under-8, Under-10, Under-12, Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18.
The event
More than 1,500 competitors from more than 100 countries are expected to compete in the tournament.
A total of 1,463 players from 93 countries and territories competed at last year’s competition in Turkey.
During a diplomatic visit to Vietnam in 2006, Head of the Republic of Kalmykia Kirsan Ilyumzhinov – who is also president of FIDE – suggested Vietnam host the 2008 world youth chess championship competition.
Ba Ria-Vung Tau was chosen as the event organizer.
The annual event, first held in 1946, is FIDE’s official competition system used to rank international players.
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