Italian Chess Championship in Torino from October 30

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

The Italian Chess Championship 2012 will be played in Torino from October 30 to November 10. This is for the first time that this important Italian town is hosting the national chess championship. 

There will be 12 players and they will play a round robin (eleven rounds). The list does not include GM Fabiano Caruana – winner of the Championship in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011 (in 2009 he did not play). Caruana cannot play because he has to play in Bucharest and then in Tashkent.

There are four GMs on the list of players: Sabino Brunello, Alberto David, Carlo Garcia-Palermo and Michele Godena. Sabino Brunello, 23 years old, is the number 2 in the national elo list (1.10.2012) and is also the main favourite to win the title.

Alberto David, who was born in Milano 42 years ago, comes back to Italy and to the Italian Chess Federation after many years of playing for Luxemburg (where he lived since he was about 10 years old); David now is number 3 in the national elo list (1.10.2012), only one point behind Brunello.

Carlo Garcia-Palermo (48) is the oldest player. Everybody remembers that he won against Bobby Fischer in a simul exhibition by Bobby in 1970! Michele Godena (45) won 5 times the Italian championship, the first time in Reggio Emilia 1992/93 - 20 years ago!

Then there are 6 IMs. Fabio Bellini (43, Italian champion in 1999), Daniele Genocchio (31), Danil Dvirny (22, last year he was second after Caruana), Guido Caprio (only 18) and the two brothers Rombaldoni, Denis (23) and Axel (20, he already has 2 GM norms).

The field is completed by the two younger players, both 17 and both Fide Masters: Simone De Filomeno and Nicola Altini.
Referees IA Marco Santandrea from Milano and FA Roberto Ricca from Turin. The championship will be played in NH Hotel Ambasciatori (corso Vittorio Emanuele 104) starting at 3 pm (Italian time). Free day is November 5th. Live games can be tracked at the official website www.federscacchi.it

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