The city of Jerusalem is gearing up to host its largest chess festival since the devastating events of October 7 and the war in Gaza. The festival will take place from 26th November until 3rd December and has been organised by the Israel Chess Federation, the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Jerusalem Municipality under the concept of Tolerance and Unity. This will be an exciting week of chess, however, the absence of one of Israel’s greatest chess players, Boris Gelfand, leaves a dark cloud hanging over what should be an exciting time for chess.
The festival will start with a massive two-day open rapid tournament on 26 – 27th November with over 400 participants. Following that, from 30th November – 3rd December, there will be an invitational tournament known as the Jerusalem Masters. This tournament will be a round robin with twelve players where the top four will go through to a knockout stage. Ten players have been invited thus far and two players will qualify through the open event.
The prize fund for the tournament is a record-breaking amount for chess in Israel. The open event will have a total prize fund of $30,000, of which $5,000 will go to the first-place winner. The Masters will have a staggering total prize fund of $140,000, the largest ever for an Israeli chess event. Additionally, there will be special prizes totalling $26,000 for the top Israeli finishers.
The Masters event will feature an exceptional collection of competitors, with stars of the highest quality—such as former World Champion Viswanathan Anand, two-time challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi, and the rapidly rising Indian Talent, Arjun Erigaisi—headlining the event, in addition to five top grandmasters from Israel.
However, the absence of Boris Gelfand, considered to be the greatest chess player in Israeli history, raises questions over the current status of Israel’s chess community. Gelfand has been a top World Championship challenger several times, has been in a prolonged battle with the Israel Chess Federation, and his continued absence as a competitor in the Masters confirms the growing schism between him and the Federation that has become quite public.
Despite the controversy, the Jerusalem Masters will undoubtedly be a momentous event, filled with world-class chess and a powerful message of perseverance, solidarity and resilience.
