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Playing hall
The games will take place in the luxurious 5-star Porto Carras Grand Resort, the largest of Europe and the Mediterranean (1763 hectares!), on the seaside of Sithonia in Halkidiki, northern Greece. An excellent summer location with 9 km of sandy beaches and a panoramic view of the Aegean Sea!

Tournament schedule
1st round: Saturday 18 July, 17:30
2nd round: Sunday 19 July, 10:30
3rd round: Sunday 19 July, 17:30
4th round: Monday 20 July, 17:30
5th round: Tuesday 21 July, 17:30
6th round: Wednesday 22 July, 17:30
7th round: Thursday 23 July, 17:30
8th round: Friday 24 July, 17:30
9th round: Saturday 25 July, 10:30
Closing Ceremony: 25 July, 16:00

Regulations
FIDE rated swiss system in 9 rounds. Open to all chess players. Time limit per player: 90 minutes for 40 moves + 20 min. for the rest of the game + 30’’ increment for every move starting from move one. A player forfeits the game if he hasn't appeared at his board during the first hour of the game. Tie break criteria: a) games between the tied players (only if all tied played each other), b) sum of progressive score, c) Buchholz, d) number of games with black.

Prizes (in EUR)
1st place: 1000, 2nd: 500, 3rd: 300, 4th-5th: 200 each. 1st woman: 200, 2nd woman: 150, 3rd woman: 100. Special category "Performance minus FIDE Rating": 1st: 200, 2nd: 150, 3rd: 100. Only FIDE ratings apply.
In case of a tie, prizes are divided equally. A player qualifying for more than one prizes receives all of them. Cup and medals will also be awarded to the 3 top winners.

Currencies
1 EUR approx. = 1,33 USD or 43,73 RUB or 0,88 GBP (as of 5/5/2009).

Entry fee
50 EUR

Accommodation offers in the 5-star Porto Carras Grand Resort
(per person)
440 EUR (includes 7 nights in a triple room with breakfast and dinner).
460 EUR (includes 7 nights in a double room with breakfast and dinner).
660 EUR (includes 7 nights in a single room with breakfast and dinner).
--- NO ENTRY FEE for players who make use of the above offers! ---

For registrations after 29 June, and if there is availability, the cost will be 10% higher.

Special offer for young participants
For youngsters U12 (born 1997 and later) there is FREE ENTRY and FREE HOTEL if they are added as a 3rd person in a double room of their parents! If another player U12 (born 1997 and later) is a 4th member of the family in the same room, he/she will only pay 50% of the cost. An excellent offer for chess families!

Transportation
The nearest airport to Porto Carras is Thessaloniki, 115 km north, which is connected daily with many European airports. The IATA code of Thessaloniki airport is SKG. The major airlines serving Thessaloniki are Olympic Airways and Aegean Airways while the domestic Athens Airways and many international carriers have also connections. You can always check for more flights with your travel agent or find low-cost airtickets to Thessaloniki at SkyScanner. A taxi from Thessaloniki to Porto Carras costs about 80 EUR. Bus connection to Neos Marmaras (near Porto Carras) is also very frequent.

Registration
Entries must be sent by 29 June 2009 to the fax number (+30) 2121219426 or by e-mail at cup2009@greekchess.com All entries should include full name, rating, accomodation type, dates of arrival/departure and receipt of bank transfer. All entries should be confirmed by the Tournament Director and rooms will be booked after the deposit of 50% of the total cost (free of bank charges) by 29 June 2009 to the following bank account:

Bank: EUROBANK
IBAN account number: GR2502600280000830100489420
Bank BIC / Swift: EFGBGRAA
Account holder name: MARIA PETSETIDI
Bank location: GREECE

More information / Tournament Director
Mr Aggelos Tzermiadianos, Tel.: (+30) 6977973587, Fax: (+30) 2121219426, Email: cup2009@greekchess.com