Feb 03 - Chief Minister At The Tradewise Chess Festival
The Chief Minister Fabian Picardo visited the Tradewise Chess Festival this afternoon. The Chief Minister was met by tournament organiser Brian Callaghan, Tradewise chairman, James Humphreys, and tournament director Stuart Conquest.
Mr Picardo visited the main broadcast studio in the Archie Suite, the hub of the festival’s online broadcasts. In the main hall ahead of play in Round 7, he presented the prizes for one of the social events in the festival, the Blitz Pairs played for on Sunday night, in which there was a three-way split.
“Thank you so much for making your way to Gibraltar,” the Chief Minister told the Grand Masters, International Masters and all chess players, at the start of play.
“Wherever you have come from, you are very welcome indeed to this Rock of ours. Enjoy your chess,” he said looking forward to returning for the final gala dinner on Thursday.
During the visit, the Chief Minister commented that Gibraltar was hugely proud of what had been achieved in the festival by Brian Callaghan and the people who had been supporting him from day one.
“Mr Callaghan saw the potential of this tournament, not just in tourist arrivals but also a huge enrichment to Gibraltar’s culture. He backed it financially and found people to support him and today it is much more, I believe, than even he imagined it could be. My message to him and all involved is that we (the Government) will continue to support this festival and we will continue to increase our support of this festival to ensure it remains the one which all players want to come to and which The Times, in its chess column, describes today as the world’s strongest open,” he emphasised.
Commenting on the development of Junior Chess on the Rock, he had this to say: “Since we were elected we have been keen to get the message of chess out there and beyond the festival. Stuart Conquest is here, in part with the support of the Government, and we are starting to make chess in our community and in the schools constant throughout the year. This is having the effect desired and we are seeing more young chess players joining in and not just the established names. That is what we needed to see happening and it is happening.”
A keen chess player himself, the Chief Minister is looking forward to teaching his son Sebastian who is still just a year and 9 months. Looking at introducing him to the game of chess at the age of four, Mr Picardo, further commented: “everything in life is like a game of chess, so the quicker he gets to know the rules, the better.”
In a message to all those who have not been to the Festival or to the Rock, he had this to say: “We can’t lay claim in Gibraltar to having invented chess, but we certainly can lay claim to laying on the best hospitality every year to ensure that all chess players from all over the world enjoy an environment which is an immersion in chess. To those who have never been, come and see what it is that all your fellow players have enjoyed so much in one of the most iconic places in the world. Gibraltar is well worth a visit. I invite everyone to come to move their chess pieces on the Rock.”
