The 2021 Israeli Open Chess Championship will be held at Safed in December, the Israel Chess Federation announced on Monday.
The tournament will be played from December 8 to December 17 and NIS 80,000 worth of prizes will be handed out to the winners.
In addition to the championship, Safed Municipality, in collaboration with the Israel Chess Federation and Israel's national lottery Mifal HaPayis, will host several events throughout the week of the championship to promote the game of chess.
The city's schools and educational institutions will send students to compete against each other in chess matches and even compete against Israel's teen chess champion.
"Promoting chess across Israel is of great importance to us," said Israel Chess Federation CEO Tzvika Barkai. "We are excited to bring chess over to Israel's periphery and are confident that Safed will fall in love with the game," he added.
"The city of Safed is excited and proud to be hosting the Israel Open Chess Championship with the aim of connecting our youth to the game, which holds the significant potential of developing strategic thinking, strengthening social ties, promoting education for respect and patience and leads to a significant improvement in decision making," said Safed Mayor Shuki Ohana.