On Saturday, the traditional chess festival kicks off its 52nd edition as the Sparkassen Chess Trophy – European champion Matthias Blübaum is the favourite going into the A Open.
Two weeks before the tournament began, all participant places at the Alte Schmiede Cultural Centre were already fully booked. 400 participants are registered. Players from 37 countries are coming to Dortmund. In terms of sport, the focus is on the open tournaments with a prize fund of €20,000. In the A-Open, 17 Grandmasters, 18 International masters and 4 Women Grandmasters are registered to compete for the top places.
The top favourite is Matthias Blübaum, German national player and the first player ever to win the European Individual Championships twice. Last year's surprise winner, Nico Zwirs (Netherlands, photo), is aiming for a good placing.
The organisers, Initiative Pro Schach e.V., also attach great importance to giving Germany's most talented players the opportunity to compete with the best. Marius Deuer and Christian Glöckler are two talented players who are expected to make the step up to the German national team in the future. In cooperation with Sportland.NRW, there will once again be special prizes for the best U18 players.
International women's tournament kicks off with top German duel
The highlight of this year's Sparkassen Chess Trophy is the international women's tournament with four grandmasters, which starts on Sunday on stage in Dortmund Huckarde.
Elisabeth Pähtz and Dinara Wagner will compete against two world-class players here. The international chess community is particularly excited about Miaoyi Lu (photo) – the 15-year-old is already Chinese champion, an 
established national player and the highest-ranked player in the field. The fourth participant is Deimanté Daulyté-Cornette, who was invited after winning the international tournament in Augsburg in March.
The pairings for the first round (3 August) are:
Dinara Wagner – Elisabeth Pähtz
Deimanté Daulyté-Cornette – Miaoyi Lu
Admission is free at all times. Grandmaster Artur Yusupov will be providing commentary on site, catering will be provided, and spectators are welcome. The B Open starts daily at 10:30 a.m., the A Open and the women's tournament daily at 3 p.m. Detailed information about the tournament, venue and results can be found at www.sparkassen-chess-trophy.de.