Chess Weekly

Wijk aan Zee (NED), 10-25.01.2004
It, cat. XIX (2702)

Hundreds of spectators are attracted by a possibility of watching the world's best grandmasters' play in these cold January days into Wijk aan Zee soaked with the winds. Besides, the amateurs are granted of opportunity of sharing the creative experience with the grandmasters. All the tournaments of the festival - those, beside the three grandmasters' ones, include many amateurs' events, where the participants are grouped by four to ten; competitions in rapid chess are being held, the tournaments for kids, for journalists, for MPs, etc., etc. It all takes place in a single huge hall of the Moriac communications center. More than 1300 players participate!
A section, where the grandmasters' tournaments are being held, is separated from the other part of a hall with a small fence that is used to carry the monitors. The spectators may watch the games from the main competition from right where they stand, spending no effort for steadfast peering into what is going on at the chessboards. The feeling of complicity is preserved; such a democracy is a trademark of Wijk aan Zee tournaments, as well as its organizers' special pride.
As the director of festival Jeroen van den Berg says, Corus inherited the rights for festival together with the steel factory from the steel concern Hoogoveens. They guarantee festival in Wijk aan Zee to run regularly up to 2010. Apart from Corus, the chief sponsor, the tournament is supported by the Northern Netherlands province administration and by the Friends of Corus Chess group, including the major firms and organizations of Ijmond region.