Approximately 25 tourists came to Bermuda for the Annual Bermuda International Chess Open over the weekend.

Acting Minister of Tourism and Transport, Michael Scott, was on hand on Sunday to welcome the players and their families.

Minister Scott opened the tournament by making the first move of the day in a game between Grandmaster Larry Christiansen and Denis Strenzwilk, both American. Mr. Stenzwilk has been coming to Bermuda for the tournament since it began 26 years ago.

In total 58 people will compete in the tournament including four Grandmasters, among them last year's winner Pascal Charbonneau of Canada.

Also playing are promising juniors, from the Gilbert Institute, Lishon Martin and Luca Legrenzi.

The tournament was created after several players, including Bermudians, met at another chess event in Malta in 1980. They decided to create the tournament to encourage friendship and camaraderie among the players from a multitude of cultures, languages and backgrounds.

"It since has become the most sought after social event of the Chess Olympiads and has grown to over 1,000 guest attendees from over 150 countries," Dr. Michael Radford, a local player, said.

The tournament continues this week.