Optiver brings top chess players Anish Giri and Eline Roebers to Amsterdam Chess Festival
Thursday 11 June
Peter Doggers
Top chess players Anish Giri and Eline Roebers will make an appearance at the first edition of the Amsterdam Chess Festival, from July 10 to 19 at the Montessori Lyceum Oostpoort. Giri, ranked seventh in the world, will give a masterclass on Friday, July 10, and Roebers, the best female player in the Netherlands, will act as tournament coach on Thursday, July 16. The presence of these top players is made possible by Optiver.
The Amsterdam Chess Festival gets off to a great start on Friday morning, July 10, at 11:00 AM with a unique masterclass by Anish Giri, free of charge for festival participants. The world-class player will discuss his specialty: preparation for a chess game. What is involved in good preparation? Why is he so good at this? And is preparation for a blitz chess game fundamentally different?
The final question is particularly relevant to the audience, as a blitz chess tournament is scheduled following the masterclass. The main program, a strong, nine-round Swiss tournament, starts a day later on Saturday, July 11, alongside four-player tournaments and other events.
PARTICIPANTS TO THE FESTIVAL CAN JOIN THE MASTERCLASS FREE OF CHARGE. PLEASE REGISTER HERE IN ADVANCE.
Eline Roebers, the strongest female chess player in the Netherlands and ranked 50th in the world’s women’s rankings, will make an appearance later in the week as a tournament coach. On Thursday, July 16, participants can turn to her for valuable tips and advice regarding their games.
The presence of Giri and Roebers has been made possible by Optiver, a leading technology- and research-driven trading firm. During the Amsterdam Chess Festival, Optiver is also sponsoring the Open Dutch Student Championship and the Open Dutch Student Blitz Chess Championship. In both events, a total of six tickets are up for grabs for the FISU World University Championships in China in October 2026.
The Amsterdam Chess Festival (ACF) will take place July 10–19, 2026, at the Montessori Lyceum Oostpoort in Amsterdam. Interested chess players can register on this website.