Kortchnoi Zurich Chess Challenge 2017

On June 6th this year one of the all-time greats of chess, Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi, passed away. In his final years, debilitated by a series of strokes and bound to a wheelchair, he attended the Zurich Chess Challenge each year, in fact playing a match himself in 2015. To honor the unforgettable chess legend there will be a special memorial tournament from April 13th to 17th, 2017 in Zurich. Take note of these dates – you can participate as well.

In honor of the unforgettable chess legend Viktor Kortchnoi, who passed away June 6th, the Zurich Chess Club will organize at Easter time, from April 13th to 17th, 2017, at the Kongresshaus in Zurich a grandmaster tournament with the two world champions: Vladimir Kramnik and Viswanathan Anand, and the world class players Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Peter Svidler as well as the best player of the “Nutcrucker Event” 2016 in Moscow and the best Swiss chessplayer Yannick Pelletier. They will play seven rounds with a time control of 45 minutes and 30 seconds per move and a Rapid Tournament with a time control of 10 minutes and 5 seconds per move on the last day.

At the same time a strong Open Tournament is organized, to which all chess friends around the world are wellcome. Seven rounds will be played with a time control of 90 minutes and 30 seconds per move.
More information about both tournaments will be provided in January 2017 on the official web site.

Viktor Kortchnoi was one of the truly great chess players, a legend. He played in three matches that produced the World Champion, but in each case lost to Anatoly Karpov. It made him the strongest player never to have won the title. In 1976 he defected from the Soviet Union and took up residence in Switzerland, where he continued to be active into his eighties in spite of a stroke. Now he has gone and leaves a grieving chess community.