Hastings International Chess Congress
The Hastings Chess Tournament (Hastings Premier) during Christmas Hastings International Chess Congress is since 1920 /21, with a break due to the Second World War, held annually chess tournament in Hastings. More chess tournaments were aligned irregularly at the summer conference in Hastings.
History
In the 1880s consisted in Hastings a great interest in chess. On June 15, 1882 ad was published in a local newspaper that on June 28, 1882 would be held in the Albert Temperance Hotel a chess congress. From the meeting of the Hastings and St Leonards Chess Club emerged. Under the leadership of Secretary Herbert Dobell regional tournaments were first aligned and later held annual readings, were invited for the master players.
In the summer of 1895, the chess tournament to Hastings in 1895 was discharged as a round-robin tournament with 22 players, including world chess champion Emanuel Lasker and former World Champion William Steinitz, who were next to Siegbert Tarrasch as favorite. The tournament was won by the 22- year-old U.S. American Harry Nelson Pillsbury before the Russians Mikhail Chigorin, while the favorites graduating on the third to fifth place. The tournament is considered one of the strongest in the history of chess.
After the interim " champion tournament" in 1919, the first chess tournament in the Allied countries after the First World War, even Christmas congresses have taken place from Christmas 1920, which should include an annual round-robin tournament. The first such tournament 1920/21 was won by Englishman Frederick Yates. The annual implementation was maintained until 1939 /40, but then stopped because of World War II. Since 1945/46, the tournament will take place again each year.
The first ten chess champion William Steinitz, Emanuel Lasker, José Raúl Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, Max Euwe, Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky and the twelfth world chess champion Anatoly Karpov took part in a chess tournament in Hastings. As the first woman playing chess world champion Vera Menchik 1929 /30 to 1936/37, at the annual tournament. Another chess world champion took 1964/65 Nona Gaprindashvili part.
Tournaments
Summer Tournaments
The summer tournaments were held irregularly.
Hastings Premier
The Hastings Premier is a multi-year interruption during World War II, held annually the year. By 2003 /04 the tournament was held as a round-robin tournament with usually 10 to 16 players, with fewer players were present at the beginning, there were 1920/21, only four participants. In 2004 /05 a knockout tournament took place; since the tournament in 2005 /06, the Premier will be held as an open tournament in the Swiss system over nine rounds.
The qualification was traditionally held on the Hastings Challengers, which was an open tournament in the Swiss system. With the removal of the restriction participants in 2005/ 06 this has been discontinued.
As a framework program more fünfrundige tournaments are offered.
The following table indicates the winner and the tied players in the Premier.