Closest match to Christmas

[Joey Stewart]

Hi guys, I thought of a little Christmas merriment for all.
Who has played a game closest to Christmas Day, not blitz though.

[Roger de Coverly]

Who has played a game closest to Christmas Day, not blitz though.

The Islington weekender of 1979 was on December 21st, 22nd and 23rd. A club night scheduled for the 23rd would probably go ahead as normal.

The record would be held by participants in the Groningen tournament which spans Christmas. In the year when it was the FIDE championship knock-out, Adams and Short had to play their rapid-play tie break on Christmas Day. In this year's World Junior, play takes place tomorrow, although the 25th, but not the 26th is a rest day.

It's common in Europe, if not the UK, to have a post Christmas tournament starting on the 26th.

[Ian Thompson]

Hi guys, I thought of a little Christmas merriment for all.
Who has played a game closest to Christmas Day, not blitz though.

I've played at Groningen several times so I've played 9 games on either Christmas Eve or Boxing Day.

The record would be held by participants in the Groningen tournament which spans Christmas.

It's more likely to be held by someone playing in a non-Christian country that doesn't celebrate Christmas, e.g. the FIDE calendar has a tournament in Nepal that starts on 25 December.

[Joey Stewart]

Those don't count - if they don't believe in it then they cannot come close to it at all.
The Christmas eve and boxing Day ones sound as close as you can be.

What sort of sadist organised a tournament deliberately to make shirt and Adams miss Christmas (plus those poor unfortunates who had to open up the venue, probably against their will)

[Roger de Coverly]

What sort of sadist organised a tournament deliberately to make shirt and Adams miss Christmas (plus those poor unfortunates who had to open up the venue, probably against their will)

In a manner of speaking it was the FIDE President who wanted the FIDE world champion determined by a knock-out. Groningen offered to host the event but scheduling requirements to have the winner meet Karpov at the IOC headquarters required Christmas Day tie-breaks.

[David Sedgwick]

The 7th game of the match between Morphy and Anderssen in Paris took place on 25th December 1858.

[ThomasThorpe]

World Youth Chess Championships 2013 - today's match!

[David Blower]

Closest I have got was playing on 20th December last year.

This year I managed to arrange a fixture in the last week the club was open before Christmas, I guessed it wasn't too popular!

[JustinHorton]

Related: birthdays.

[Ian Thompson]

Related: birthdays.

I reckon I've played 17 games on my birthday, mainly due to local tournaments taking place over the weekend of my birthday, so I've played 2 or 3 games on one birthday several times.

[Gordon Cadden]

Who has played a game closest to Christmas Day, not blitz though.

The Islington weekender of 1979 was on December 21st, 22nd and 23rd. A club night scheduled for the 23rd would probably go ahead as normal.

The record would be held by participants in the Groningen tournament which spans Christmas. In the year when it was the FIDE championship knock-out, Adams and Short had to play their rapid-play tie break on Christmas Day. In this year's World Junior, play takes place tomorrow, although the 25th, but not the 26th is a rest day.

It's common in Europe, if not the UK, to have a post Christmas tournament starting on the 26th.

The organising committee in Abu Dhabi had originally planned to play on the 25th. December, but were advised that many chess players in the Western World, celebrate a Festival on that day.

[JonManley]

John Emms has written a funny article about playing chess on your birthday http://www.kingpinchess.net