History of the tournament
At Paz de Ziganda Ikastola, chess has never been an outside activity. It became part of the school timetable for primary years 3 to 6 in 1989, and two years later our tournament was born. In March 1991, at the Iruña Park hotel in Pamplona-Iruñea, the ikastola and Ikastolen Elkartea held the 1st Paz de Ziganda Memorial. It was no modest start. A Basque Country selection took on a team from the USSR that included Zurab Azmaiparashvili and the reigning Women's World Champion, Maia Chiburdanidze. The Soviets proved unbeatable, but that match laid the first stone of the tournament. An active-chess open and an inter-ikastola tournament were played at the same time.
Among the volunteers of that first edition was José Luis Gorostidi. Born in Lekeitio in 1952, he taught at the ikastolas of Atarrabia and Lizarra and founded the "Euskaraz Bizi" movement, which aimed to bring Basque into everyday life. He died in the summer of 1997, and the tournament bears his name: Memorial Paz de Ziganda – José Luis Gorostidi Oroigarria.
In 2000, for the 10th edition, Anatoly Karpov came to Villava-Atarrabia. On 31 March he gave a simultaneous exhibition that the ikastola's pupils will never forget. Over the years many strong players have sat at our boards, among them Julio Granda, Eduardo Iturrizaga and Aleksa Strikovic, who won the tournament three times.
The tournament was held every year from 1991 to 2019. The 30th edition was ready in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced its postponement, and play did not resume until 2023. It was a memorable return: former world champion Ruslan Ponomariov gave a simul in the ikastola dining hall, and Karen Grigoryan won the open. Ponomariov himself went on to win in 2024 and 2026.
Today the tournament has two faces. One is the International Open, a 9-round FIDE-rated rapid event where grandmasters and local amateurs share the playing hall. The other is the School Tournament, with around a hundred girls and boys. The 33rd edition was played on 14 March 2026. Thirty-five years on, the aim is unchanged: to bring together chess, the Basque language and community spirit (auzolan) across the whole ikastola family.
