Tbilisi, Batumi set for European Chess Championships for men and women

Two cities in Georgia are set to host hundreds of competitors from around Europe for this year's European Championships among men and women participants.

Over 300 contestants are about to converge in the Black Sea city of Batumi for nearly two weeks of competition within the European Individual Chess Championships, before European Women's Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships take place in capital Tbilisi.

The former tournament is set to run between March 16-28 and host 311 players from 34 countries. The roster of competitors will include 30 entrants from Georgia.

Georgia's current Women's World Blitz Champion Nana Dzagnidze will be among leading competitors in the women's tournament in Tbilisi. Photo: World Chess Federation.

With a prize pool of 100,000 EUR, the Individual Championships can also be entered by women contestants, despite its title.

It will be followed with the Women's Rapid and Blitz tournament in Tbilisi between March 30-April 1, which will feature 80 players from 15 countries including "all leading players from Europe", said the Ministry of Culture and Sport of Georgia.

Among Chess Olympiad winners and World- and European Champions, the competition will see Women's current World Blitz Champion Nana Dzagnidze from Georgia.