The name "Hastings" has a very special ring to it in the chess world. In 1895 one of the most important tournaments in chess history took place in the seaside resort on the south-east coast of England, and chess tournaments are still regularly held there today - no tournament in chess history has a longer tradition. The Berlin FM Jürgen Brustkern is a great expert on Hastings and has written a book on the history of this tradition together with Norbert Wallet. In an interview with ChessBase he reveals what fascinates him so much about Hastings.
The strong line-up of the Masters and the Challengers tournaments, a large Open, an interesting supporting programme and, last but not least, the city itself make the Prague Chess Festival 2024 an attractive event. The 6th edition of the festival will take place from 26 February to 7 March 2024 and will continue Prague's long chess tradition. A tradition whose traces can be found even when you only take a short sightseeing walk through the city. As Johannes Fischer discovered during a visit to the 5th Prague Chess Festival. | Photo: View of Hradcany with the castle, Prague | Photo: <a href="https://www.ferras-agency.com/">Stefan Bauer</a>, <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hradschin Prag.jpg">Wikipedia</a>
The former world champion, 60, led the Champions Showdown 9LX unbeaten with 3/4, then collapsed to 3/9, while the 22-year-old finished ahead of the US elite
The event has been staged since the 1920s and the 2023 iteration ended with England’s Mark Hebden tied in second, after missing a win against Lithuania’s Sarunas Sulskis, who finished first
The annual Christmas holiday tournament held in the Sussex town of Hastings, England, may have peaked a little early, but it's still been a reliable producer of top-flight chess in the 125 years since its unforgettable opening act.