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Bilbao: “Cathedral” of world chess
In recent years the image of Bilbao has become more and more relevant within the elite of world chess.
From 1998 to 2002, Bilbao was the venue for the best Open in Europe and one of the best three in the world in rapid games with the presence of representatives from more than 30 countries in each of them. In 2004 and 2005 Bilbao organized the Man-Computer World Championship in which some of the world´s best grandmasters confronted the ultimate computer software. An undisputed victory of “silicon” over "carbon": 8.5 – 3.5 in 2004, and 8 - 4 in 2005. Bilbao put an end to the world debate on this matter and, at present, the chess community recognises the supremacy of “machines” over human beings.
In 2006 the picture of Veselin Topalov and Judith Polgar blindfolded playing a “blindfold” game in the Guggenheim Museum went around the world. According to specialised journalists, the media impact obtained was parallel to the impact of the greatest chess events in history. Spassky-Fischer, Kasparov-Karpov, and Kasparov-“Deep Blue”. Topalov won 3.5 – 2.5, but above all chess won.
In 2007 Bilbao moved a step forward with the organitation of the Blindfold World Chess Cup, which was won by Chinese Bu Xiang-zhi over Topalov, Polgar, Kariakin, Carlsen and Harikrishna. This was also the time when El Agora was created with live comments for the public as well as interviews, guests, huge screens, electronic and chessboards. The World Cup had a huge impact on the media appearing on the main printed media, radio, TV, as well as on the Internet with over 1.5 million spectators.
Not only have the best international chess stars played in Bilbao, including several world champions (Karpov, Spassky, Anand, Topalov, Ponomariov, Kasimzhanov, Khalifman), but its festival is also characteristic for its unique atmosphere: it is an open, popular festival, full of participation, with a massive fan attendance and a very special presence of the children in every school chess festivity.
Bilbao will hold this year the first Grand Slam Chess Final Masters from September 2nd til 13th, which due to the level of the participants and its prize fund will become one of the most important tournaments in chess history.
For the first time ever in an event of such characteristics, the games will take place in the street, in the Plaza Nueva, right in the centre of Bilbao’s Casco Viejo (Old Quarter) in a huge soundproofed and air-conditioned crystal case. This glass case placed under a marquee will also accommodate ‘El Agora’ for analysis and comments, a space located near the glass case where the audience will also be able to enjoy comments from Chess Grandmasters among whom we can name Boris Spassky and Susan Polgar. El Agora will be under the direction of journalist Leontxo Garcia with the cooperation of Nicola Lococo. Tables and chairs arranged in a “street cafe” fashion will help to follow the chess games in a collective, dynamic, open and participating way, all in a relaxing atmosphere, commenting the games while participating in friendly debates arisen about the competition.
This spectacular stage will also hold a large number of activities connected to chess and addressed to very different people: I International Open “Federacion Vizcaina de Ajedrez; Rapid Game Tournament “Villa de Bilbao”; IV Euskadi Championship on Chess Problems Resolution; Activities for children; the Experts’ Space; and the Closing Ceremony.
The eyes of chess fans in every continent will be on Bilbao during the first fortnight of September this year.
An enormous effort of many years which counted on the support of our institutions and private sponsors, the close cooperation of the Vizcaya and Basque Chess Federations, the continuous work in the shadow of a lot of chess lovers, ... all this made the seed of an illusion grow. We finally did it, we have all together built to its highest extent, stone by stone, block by block, the “Cathedral” of world chess.
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