XXXVI OLIMPIADA DE AJEDREZ. CALVIÁ 2004.
| Issue date |
18/03/2004 |
| Stamping |
Huecograbado |
| Paper |
Estucado,engomado, fosforescente |
| Perforated |
13 3/4 |
| Size of the Stamps |
40,9 X 28,8 x mm.(horizontales) |
| Face value of the stamps |
0,77 € |
| Fold effects |
50 |
| Editiona |
1.000.000 |
Philately joins the celebration of the 36th Chess Olympiad with this stamp depicting
Peonin, pet of the competition, and the name of the great chess player Ruy López
de Segura. The event will take place in the town of Calviá (Mallorca) from
the 14 to the 31 October and it has been organised by the Spanish Chess Federation
(FEDE),the Town Hall of Calviá and the Balear Chess Federation.
The Chess Olympiad originates from the World Nation Championship which took place
in Paris in 1924 in which participated 18 countries. From then on the event has
been growing in participants and has become the most important in the world .
It takes place every two years and throughout these years has counted with the
participation of the most prestigious chess players such as Gary Kasparov, Anatoly
Karpov, Vladimir Kramnik or Ruslan Ponomariov.
In the stamp also features Ruy López de Segura, one of the best chess players
of the XVI century. He was born in Zafra (Badajoz) and was very enthusiastic about
chess from his early years. He became a clergyman who moved to Rome for ecclesiastic
reasons and there he had the chance of playing against and beating the great Italian
chess players. He wrote the famous book “Libro de la invencion liberal y
el arte del juego del Axedrez”; edited in Alcalá de Henares in 1561
and which is a proper treaty on the subject. He is considered as being the creator
of modern chess and his methods on opening variations and analysis on line are
still in force. He counted with the support of King Philip II who was very fond
of chess and who invited López de Segura to participate with Alfonso de
Cerón in a court tournament against the best players of the time: The Italians
Leonardo di Borna, known as Il Puttino and Paolo Boi, Il Siracusano. This event
is considered to be the I Masters Tournament and it is supposed to be the first
time a King Gambit was played.