GRANDMASTER CARLSSON AND GRANT THORNTON SAILED TO VICTORY THROUGH THE TURBULENT CHESS MARKETS
On Saturday, March 1st, the Don Giovanni Prague hotel hosted the second edition of the K CERO INVEST Real Estate & Financial Rapid Tournament, an event that brings together the chess community with professionals from the real estate, finance, and legal sectors. The competition attracted around thirty industry experts, who battled it out over seven rounds with a time control of 15 minutes + 5 seconds per move.
In a highly competitive field, GM Pontus Carlsson from Sweden emerged victorious with 6 points, finishing ahead of FM Milan Chovan (Slovakia) and FM Martin Hollan (Czech Republic), who both scored 5.5 points.
The awards ceremony took place in the festival’s VIP area, where spectators could also meet players from the prestigious Masters and Challengers tournaments. "Friends, it was a great pleasure for me and Peter Boleslav to spent March 1st here at Hotel Don Giovanni," said K CERO INVEST owner Roman Cerulík as he opened the closing ceremony.
The prizes were presented by Hungarian grandmaster and former World Championship contender Peter Lékó, alongside TATA STEEL CHESS director Jeroen Van Den Berg. The medalists received a K CERO leather jacket, hotel stay vouchers from Czech Inn Hotels, and the prestigious PICF trophy. Additionally, tournament winner Pontus Carlsson had the honor of making the ceremonial first move of Round 4 in the Masters tournament.
Although the tournament is played as an individual competition, a team ranking is announced at the end, based on the top three scores from each company’s representatives. This year's team champion was Grant Thornton, outperforming Komerční banka and KFP Online.
The idea of organizing a chess event for real estate and finance professionals was born during a visit to K CERO owner Roman Cerulík in Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia, in the summer of 2023. Thanks to a dedicated approach to preparation, the first Real Estate & Finance Rapid Tournament was successfully launched on March 1st the following year. After its successful debut, it has now become a tradition within the Prague International Chess Festival.
Author: Tomáš Fiala