Art. 13 – 15 july, 2023

Breaking Barriers and Celebrating Diversity: 27 Countries Compete in Orillas de Mar International Chess Tournament for 6 FIDE Norms.

All the 26 GMs/WGM at the kick off ceremony
Playing in a 16th century site: Casa Fuerte of Adeje

Step into the world of Orillas de Mar International Chess Tournament, where extraordinary achievements and female prowess take center stage! This captivating event, inspired by the popular Queen’s Gambit, delivered an unforgettable display of talent and determination.

Within the thrilling battles of Orillas de Mar, six FIDE norms were earned, representing crucial milestones in the chess world. For the uninitiated, a FIDE norm is a prestigious accomplishment that recognizes players for their exceptional performance and brings them closer to coveted titles such as International Master or Grandmaster. These norms exemplify the unwavering dedication and strategic brilliance demonstrated by the participants.

  • Xiao Tong(Qd), from China: norm to GM
  • Nie Xinyang, from China: norm to IM
  • Zhang Lanlin, from China: norm to WGM
  • Huang Renjie, from China: norm to GM
  • Emil Risteski, from Macedonia: norm to IM
  • Peng Xiongjian, from China: norm to IM

While the tournament boasted an impressive lineup of 23 Grandmasters and 3 WGM, 34 IM/WIM/FM/WFM it was the remarkable presence of 26 talented women that truly stole the show. These fierce competitors showcased their skills, challenging gender stereotypes and proving that chess knows no boundaries. Their remarkable performances, alongside their male counterparts, made Orillas de Mar an inspiring celebration of inclusivity and gender equality in the chess community.

Beyond the intense battles on the board, the tournament offered more than just fierce competition. Participants and children were treated to an array of prizes, gifts, and delectable sweets, adding an extra touch of joy and celebration to the event.

Join us in celebrating the triumph of the Orillas de Mar International Chess Tournament, a spectacle that embraced the power of female players and highlighted the significance of earning FIDE norms. This exceptional journey showcased the best of chess, inspiring players of all backgrounds to pursue their dreams and embrace the strategic beauty of the game.

Art. 13 – 13 July, 2023

Empowering the Queen’s Gambit:Orillas de Mar” Chess Tournament shines with FIDE Norms and strong female presence!

Step into the world of “Orillas de Mar” Chess Tournament, where extraordinary achievements and female prowess take center stage! This captivating event, inspired by the popular Queen’s Gambit, delivered an unforgettable display of talent and determination.

The opening ceremony took place in the picturesque patio of Casa Fuerte di Adeje, an ancient castle dating back to the 16th century, providing the perfect setting to kick off this unique competition. Surrounded by Moorish arches, participants could appreciate the unique atmosphere that only a historic location can offer.

The Grand Masters (GM) and Women Grand Masters (WGM), true pillars of the chess world, made the ceremony even more special. We welcomed these champions with pride, giving them the opportunity to meet and share their experiences with enthusiasts.

After warm greetings and thanks to the chess federations and our valuable partners such as Solucion Grafica and Rita for their collaboration in organizing the event, we finally immersed ourselves in the challenges. Participants demonstrated extraordinary determination, putting their strategic skills and creativity into play to surprise opponents and the audience. Every move was carefully evaluated, as if the players were writing a new chapter in the history of chess.

The games took place on elegant wooden chessboards, adding a touch of class that made the matches even more fascinating, reminiscent of the charm of the past.

In the patio, participants could enjoy refreshing beverages and complimentary bananas provided by Societa Fast, a welcome relief on the warm day. Victories were greeted with enthusiasm, while moments of tension kept everyone on the edge of their seats. Our goal as organizers is to create a memorable experience for participants and provide an engaging spectacle for spectators. The first day has already shown that we are on the right track.

We are excited to discover what the upcoming days of competition have in store for us. Tomorrow, both the second and third rounds will be played, already outlining the race for the top positions in the rankings. The Orillas de Mar Chess Tournament is destined to become the most prestigious annual event in the Canary Islands and one of the most fascinating in Europe. We are ready to continue this thrilling adventure and discover which champion will emerge from the competition.

Art. 11 – 20 March, 2023

What does A.I. say about us?

The well-known Artificial Intelligence site https://chat.openai.com reports some inaccuracies but also some of our secret projects!! But how will it know? Frankly it is impossible to understand this!

A.I. site image

Here’s what it says about us: “… Arona Chess Club is a chess club located in the municipality of Arona, on the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, Spain. The club was founded in 1987 (????) and offers opportunities to play amateur and professional chess.

Arona Chess Club regularly organizes chess tournaments, both locally and nationally as well as internationally, with the participation of players of different skill levels. The club also promotes chess practice at local schools and runs chess classes for youth and adults interested in learning and improving their game.

The club also has a chess team that participates in regional and national championships, representing the city of Arona. Furthermore, Arona Chess Club has developed an international collaboration with other chess clubs in Europe and Latin America, offering opportunities for cultural exchange and chess practice….”

What do you think about that? Please send us your comments

Art. 10 – 18 jan. 2023

Playing chess online

Firstly we have to say that the pandemic has taken away or transformed almost all the chess manifestations that we were used to (i.e:Aeroflot of Moscow, the London Chess Classics, the Grenke of Karlsruhe, the Biel tournament, the Dortmund tournament, the Open of Gibraltar, the Bilbao tournament, the Leon tournament, the Linares tournament, the Memorial Tal, the Gashimov Memorial…).

Secondly, pandemia has also accelerated the creation of online tournaments. Playable from anywhere in the world and at any time without the need to travel and go to the hotel. It is understandable that the very young believe this is the way you play chess.

In addition, the disappearance, we hope temporary, of Russia and China with the world organizational scenario. The one ban on the demonstrations for the war he triggered. The other grappling with the re-establishment of the pandemic outbreak. They had to leave the scene to India, to the USA (especially for online chess) and to a fragmented Europe. Moreover, open large spaces to the new Asian realities, from the rich Arab countries to the ex-Soviet Asian republics.

But then the experience teaches us that the desire to try their hand against a human in the long run convinces everyone, or almost all, to enroll in a circle like the ARONA CHESS CLUB one or a tournament. And then a new era begins, the real one, made of tension, psychology, …

and now we want to show you the 4 best sites to play chess

chess.com

The first site to play chess online is definitely chess.com. In reality, this option is also the most populated, considering that the portal has more than twenty million registered users. Well yes, in this case the registration is a must, but you can also authenticate you using Facebook or Google. Once access, you can challenge other players around the world. Chess.com is also available as an app for Android and iOS, both on mobile phones and on tablets.

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Lichess.org

The second site is Lichess.org. It is certainly not populated as Chess.com, but it still has more than one million games per day. Moreover, it does not require any form of recording if you want to do only one game. Instead, it will be necessary to access the site in the event that you want to record your progress, scores and all the games you have carried out against other users. In this case, however, everything will always be free.

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chess.org

is very similar, in its management, to Chess.com
It is the most suitable site for all those who simply want to play a random game, without too many complications. In fact, it always allows you to play against other online players, completely free of charge and does not require any kind of registration. The portal is quite immediate: connect, click on “Play Now” and play against other online players.

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chess24.com

is in fourth place in terms of gaming experience. But it is certainly the first for direct streaming, commented by GMs, of the best known international tournaments.
The chess website is available in different languages (English, Spanish, German, ..)
It is not possible to play correspondence games. The longest time control available is 60 minutes with an increase of 30 seconds per move. However, Chess24 offers various fantastic tournaments to participate in. Especially themed tournaments opening are extremely useful for improving your chess opening skills.

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Try them and decide what you like best and, if you want, leave me your comment below. Good fun!!!

Thank you

The Christmas Rapid Tourney Report

18 december 2022

Just one word! a SUCCESS. Happy everyone and two days of “friendly” chess challenges to celebrate next Christmas together! and with lots of prizes and gifts for everyone, young and old!

And you know how we built this extraordinary event? Here are some facts (not all, believe me!):

Weeks of preparation together with Rita of the Casa Fuerte of Adeje, to get and prepare everything necessary i.e: chairs and tables donated by the South Tenerife Language Center of Adeje, look, etc.

and in addition, the kind support of the Tenerife Chess Federation and the preparation and competence of the referee Franklin Diaz Barrios.

We got players from 14 different countries and of all ages; and more than 12,000 visits on our webpage and social networks worldwide!

In addition to what above:

  • the generous sponsorship of the natural reserve of Barranco del Infierno;
  • 200 bananas offered to everyone present by Fast, one of our sponsors;
  • a lunch or a dinner for two at Otelo restaurant of Adeje;
  • free entries to Aqualand and Junglepark for the first 6 children and their families
  • the “super” candies for children, and not only for them! offered by Casa Ricardo
  • the wonderful tournament t-shirts with the exclusive design of the creative graphic Argelia Bello Hernandez;
  • a painting with chess subject offered by the painter Cande Alonso Hernandez;
  • a pack of very nice handmade soaps made here in Tenerife by Las Jalapeñas

Moreover, hundreds of free bottles of water offered at a very good prize by Fuentealta and decades of homemade cookies of Casa Fuerte in the shape of chess pieces, as well as many Casa Fuerte Christmas gadgets and gifts for everyone present.

The book of the IM Aldo HaĂŻk, signed and with his dedication, raffled among all those present

another book on chess strategy to the best player of ARONA CHESS CLUB

the magnificent trophies and the engraved medals for the winners

And the blouses could not be missing, yes!, the wonderful tournament t-shirts with the exclusive design of the creative graphics Argelia Bello Hernandez Do you want to buy one? Please contact usand in few days you will get yours.

You know? we also organized to have a lemonade and a coffee service on the stage of the entrance square.

And last but not least! the very welcome presence and speech of GM Miodrag_Todorcevic, who enchanted everyone about the four factors described to become a GM.

Finally, let us see you again next year for the 2nd Christmas Rapid Tourney at Casa Fuerte of Adeje

Thank you very much to all Happy Christmas

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Sergio Alessandro – President of Arona Chess Club

First RAPID tournament program

October 2022 – Rapid 15′ – 7 rounds

The FIRST RAPID tourney (15’-7 rounds) is starting on October, 7th 2022 at 17.00 – The first 4 rounds will be played. All players will be present at least 15 minutes before.

VENUE: Hotel Andorra 10, Av. Antonio Dominguez – 38650 – Playa de Las Americas – Tenerife

14 October 2022 – The remaining 3 rounds will be played from 17.00 and immediately after the final cerimony will immediately take place.

Wanna have a look at pairings and results? ok, you can, clicking here

Here are the statistics of the nations present:

No.FEDFederaciĂłnCantidad
1ENGEngland1
2ESPSpain21
3GERGermany1
4ITAItaly4
5RUSRussia1
6SLOSlovenia2
Statistics

The tournament is free for all ARONA CHESS CLUB members, and it is also free for GM, WGM, IM and WIM FIDE title holders. 10,00€ for non-members

Sign up now!! Simply sending an e-mail to: arona_chess_club@gmx.com with your data: name, surname, date of birth (in order to definy eligibility to awards) and nationality.

Payments are accepted at the club headquarters until Friday, October 7 (and October 14th) from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

And what about the AWARDS ? … obviously they are are fully aligned to our club goals.

FIRST PLACE: Cup + the exclusive ARONA CHESS CLUB t-shirt + moreover a special paid dinner (drinks not included) for two at the “Linares” restaurant in Los Cristianos (or, in conclusion, €60 in cash).

Furthermore, the exclusive ARONA CHESS CLUB t-shirt is created just for this tournament by Argelia Bello H., one of the best Canarian creative graphic designer.

SECOND PLACE: Medal + the exclusive ARONA CHESS CLUB t-shirt + moreover a special paid dinner (drinks not included) for two at the “Linares” restaurant in Los Cristianos (or €30 in cash).

3RD PLACE – Medal + the exclusive ARONA CHESS CLUB t-shirt
4TH PLACE – Medal + the exclusive ARONA CHESS CLUB t-shirt
5TH PLACE – Medal + the exclusive ARONA CHESS CLUB t-shirt
6TH PLACE – Medal + the exclusive ARONA CHESS CLUB t-shirt

FIRST PLACE UNDER 12 – Medal + a free entrance to Siam Park, the first water park in the world + moreover the exclusive ARONA CHESS CLUB t-shirt

2ND UNDER12 – Medal + exclusive ARONA CHESS CLUB t-shirt
3RD UNDER12 – Medal + exclusive ARONA CHESS CLUB t-shirt

FIRST PLACE OVER 60 – Medal + a special dinner (drinks not included) at the “Linares” restaurant in Los Cristianos (or €30.00) + finally the exclusive ARONA CHESS CLUB t-shirt

Those born in 2010 and later are considered in the under 12 category. While veterans (over 60 years old) will be those born in 1962 and before.

Obviously, awards cannot be combined with each other.

Finally and most importantly, surprise awards will be there for all participants!!

For further information, please contact us

Art. 8 – 7 sept. 2022

New ideas and special offers

All Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. you can play and there are no classes. The monthly price is 20,00 € and there are novelties: awards and discounts!

a 3-month bonus for only 50,00€ and a 4-month bonus for only 60,00€

Classes will be every Tuesdays and Thursdays. From 5-6 p.m. for intermediate level players. And from 6 to 7 p.m. for beginners. The price of the classes is 20,00€/month for year 2022.

If someone wants individual private lessons the price is only 10,00 euros/hour.

Art. 6 – May 6th, 2022

You can tell a good day from the morning!

How nice to see the game room already full of players after only three days of opening! and even before the official opening !! We thank the Hotel Andorra for the kind hospitality and of course all those present (arrived from Cabo Blanco, Costa del Silencio, Arona, Los Cristianos, Adeje, S. Miguel de Abona, etc …)

And we are sure that there will also be many at the “simul” on May 27th!

Go on like this!!