From October 14 to 20, 2007, the 7th German International Open Championships in classical chess for the under-8 age group took place in Sebnitz, located in picturesque Saxony. Eighty-three players from Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland took part in the competition. The German contingent included many young Russians with German citizenship.
The tournament was entered by TOP Bolesławiec player and Primary School No. 4 student Kacper Grela. The competition consisted of 9 rounds. Playing one game took more than 2.5 hours. During the tournament, the total time spent playing, analyzing games and preparing for the next match exceeded 8 hours a day. It was an enormous mental effort and required the players to have tremendous physical and mental stamina.
After a very hard-fought battle, Kacper Grela scored 7 points out of a possible 9 and won third place in the boys’ group, thereby taking a place on the podium. He missed first place by just half a point. It was the first tournament of such length and intensity in his life. Despite being extremely tired, the Bolesławiec chess master returned from Germany smiling, happy and richer in new experiences. The 7-year-old was awarded a magnificent trophy and a very valuable chess textbook.
(information: Krzysztof Grela/GA)