The Tata Steel Chess Tournament starts on Saturday, so the preparations in the playing venue are in full swing. In just 8 days’ time, the Moriaan sports centre is transformed into one of the leading chess temples in the world.
Last Friday, Lennart Ootes of newsaboutchess.com had an exclusive look behind the scenes of the preparations.
The Moriaan in the small town of Wijk aan Zee
The carpet was laid last Thursday
An advertisement by Wijk aan Zee’s finest (and only!) Italian restaurant
A Corus clock
In 2006, India’s Tata Steel acquired the Dutch-British company Corus for $7.6 billion. The economic crisis forced Tata Steel to cut the budget for this year’s chess tournament. According to recent research, the Hoogovens/Corus/Tata Steel sponsorship is the longest running sports connection in the Netherlands, as it has been sponsoring the event since 1938.
Tournament Director Jeroen van den Berg sharing a picture
During the event, many offices are located in the dressing rooms.
During the event, many offices are located in the dressing rooms. The live video commentary will be recorded in this one.
Besides the two grandmaster events, about 500 amateurs play 9- or 3-day tournaments in the same venue as the top guns.
Last year’s overview of the playing hall
Photos courtesy of Lennart Ootes and newsaboutchess.com