Alicante became has become a national reference for chess in recent years. An increasing number of tournaments in number and importance are being held in the province, mostly promoted by Promochess, which last year organized a huge tour that served to promote the sport among hundreds of boys and girls. Now the tournaments are held a little more spaced in time, but those from Alicante have not lost their interest in training on the board, quite the opposite.
«We can say that chess-related events (tournaments, talks, exhibitions…) have doubled in a very short time»says Marcos García, sports director of Promochess. This professional chess player, who participated in a multi-match against 25 opponents in Dolores, organized by the Ministry of Sports a few days ago, emphasizes the explosion of this sport throughout the province.
Chess and education
«There are schools with their own chess subjects, such as San Alberto Magno in Monforte and Lluís Vives in Elche. Taught during school hours; In some of them, extracurricular classes are held, and we also give speeches at schools and institutes.
Christmas Tournament
One population stands out from the rest, Guardamar del SeguraIt hosted a major international tournament in September. Guardamar will also be the center of the chess closing of the year. Next Sunday, December 17, at 9.30 a.m., in the Palau Sant Jaume, Stage IV will be held, with the participation of one hundred chess players expected. The Christmas Tournament will begin. In this municipality of La Vega Baja, “Ampa cooperates with Promochess every year to organize chess conferences and promote the sport in three schools and institutes. This year more than 1000 students were given talks and lectures,” says Marcos García.
This Christmas tournament charges a registration fee of just 10 euros and offers trophies and gifts for absolute category champions (12 years +), under 12, under 8 and local champions and veterans. The competition consists of six rounds (10+2) and is organized by Promochess.
The provincial league – or circuit – held between 2022 and 2023 made a great contribution to board sports. We considered reducing the activity load this year, but not because of lack of interest, we thought of trying other formats. “Interest has literally doubled. We receive twice as many calls from people who want chess to be played in their schools or tournaments to be held in their municipality. We have an intercenter competition in which 10 institutes participate, and we will repeat this in 2024,” says the president of Promoches.
boom
«Things have changed a lot since I started teaching chess in schools in 2008. Previously, administrators wondered what it would be like to have these sports-related conversations happen during school hours. They are now the ones calling us to teach them, because they know the studies documenting how positive chess is for student learning.», concludes Marcos García.
IChess excitement continues to grow both in the state and around the world. official Messi and Ronaldo playing games, like the emergence of “youtubers” in the Queen’s Gambit series Rubius playing this sport… All this, together with the fact that about a dozen tournaments are held in Alicante every year, means that the support for chess is now huge.