Top chess players square off at Dundee anniversary event

World-class line-up to commemorate historic 1867 battle

World-class chess players have descended on Dundee in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Dundee Grandmaster Chess Tournament.

The competition, organised by the Dundee Chess Club, will involve 10 international grandmasters – as well as two international masters – competing head-to-head in an all-play-all format, to commemorate the 1867 tournament that was held in the city.

Taking place until Sunday at Dundee University’s Bonar Hall, top players from countries including Greece, Lithuania and Scotland will battle it out to be crowned the Grandmaster champion.

The event, which is sponsored by Dundee gaming company 4J Studios, also coincides with the 124th Scottish Chess Championships, which will take place over the same period.

Tournament director Jean Chalmers said: “It has taken a lot of organising over the past year or so but to see it finally come together is fantastic.

“We are really honoured that the grandmasters have agreed to come and play at the event.

“To compare the prestige to football, it’s like having the likes of Messi and Ronaldo in the same room.”

Dundee-born chess legend Colin McNab, who is one of the 10 grandmasters to take part, said: “I was six years old when the tournament was last in Dundee and I remember watching all the players.

“It encouraged me to play, but never did I think I would be back here playing all these years later.”

As well as Mr McNab, three other chess masters from Scotland are competing in the tournament – Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant, Andrew Greet and Craig Pritchett.

Each player will receive a monetaryprizewiththetoprewardbeing £2,000.

The original 1867 event, held in the boardroom of the Caledonian RailwayCompany,wasahighly-regarded competition that featured many of the top chess players in the world.

This included the undisputed strongest player in the world at the time and the first world chess champion, Austrian Wilhelm Steinitz.

This year’s event is being linked with the McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum, which is also celebrating its 150th anniversary.

Pictures: Steve MacDougall. The chess event at the Bonar Hall began on Friday and runs until Sunday.

Scottish chess grandmaster Colin McNab is among those competing.