Grandmaster and former world championship contender Gata Kamsky is set to participate in the XXIII International Chess Festival at the Grand Hotel Bali in Benidorm. The event will take place from 27th November to 8th December.
The American grandmaster will take part in the main tournament and conduct a simultaneous exhibition session, playing against up to 24 opponents at the same time. Kamsky was world runner-up in 1996 and has long been ranked among the top players in the world. His participation strengthens the line-up for one of the most prominent chess events in the province of Alicante.
The two open tournaments will run between 28th November and 5th December. Group A is open to players rated above 1,800 Elo, with organisers hoping to surpass the record of more than 100 titled players set in the previous edition. Group B will be reserved for players rated below 2,000 Elo.
Along with Kamsky, participating grandmasters include Kiril Georgiev, Yuri Solodovnichenko, Renier Castellanos, Mihail Marin, and David Lariño. Prominent female players registered include Alicja Sliwicka, Silvia-Raluca Sgircea, and Vera Nebolsina. Nebolsina, a former world junior champion and woman grandmaster, is also Kamsky’s current partner. The pair currently reside in Chartres, France.
The programme will feature the XVII Age-Group Team Cup from 5th to 8th December. Running on the same dates is the inaugural Gran Hotel Bali Under-2400 International Team Cup. Meanwhile, the XX New Generations Tournament for under-8, under-10, and under-12 categories will run from 27th to 29th November. A night rapid chess tournament is scheduled for 2 December, featuring an open section and a section for players rated under 2,000 Elo. Full competition details can be found on the festival’s official website.
Born on 2nd June 1974 in Novokuznetsk in the former Soviet Union, Kamsky comes from a Tatar family. Before focusing on chess, he practised music, gymnastics, and boxing. As a child, he studied at the Leningrad Palace of Pioneers under Vladimir Zak, who previously coached Viktor Korchnoi and Boris Spassky. Kamsky won the USSR Junior Championship twice before seeking asylum in the United States with his father in 1989. Writer Fernando Arrabal, supported by Milan Kundera, helped raise funds to aid his relocation. A year later, Kamsky earned his grandmaster title and became the youngest player of his era to reach the world top ten. He won his first US Championship in 1991 and the World Team Championship with the United States in 1993.
During the Professional Chess Association cycle, Kamsky eliminated Vladimir Kramnik and Nigel Short before losing to Vishy Anand in the candidates’ final. In the FIDE cycle, he defeated Anand and Valery Salov, earning the right to challenge Anatoly Karpov for the world title, losing the 20-game match by 10.5 to 7.5. Following the loss, he took a break from professional chess to focus on his studies before returning in 2004. He won the FIDE World Cup in 2007, defeating Magnus Carlsen in the semi-finals and Alexei Shirov in the final, and claimed the World Rapid Championship in 2010. A five-time US champion, Kamsky achieved a peak Elo rating of 2,763 in July 2013. Holding dual US and Russian citizenship, he currently competes under the French Chess Federation.
The simultaneous display takes place on 27th November at 18:00 for registered players staying at the official hotel, with places selected by draw if interest exceeds the limit. Spectators can attend the exhibition free of charge.
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