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WROCLAW EGP: FAN EXPECTATIONS FROM THE START OF THE EGP 2024
11 April 2024Written by Alexandr Melnikov
WROCLAW EGP: FAN EXPECTATIONS FROM THE START OF THE EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX 2024
Follow the EGP Wroclaw live here!
This weekend the European Grand Prix 2024 starts in Wroclaw. In total, the Grand Prix will have four stages (Wroclaw, Athens, Vreeland, Stockholm), which will last from April to August.
We will follow each competition with interest, and there will certainly be surprises in all four. But it is already clear that the most intriguing tournaments on the Grand Prix calendar have been put to the end. Firstly, the Netherlands and Sweden have many of their own strong players who, of course, will not miss the “home” Grand Prix. Secondly, these stages will be unusual, and therefore additionally attractive.
The Netherlands decided to organize an “extraordinary” EGP at the De Villigen resort and promised “short holidays” for all participants. And there will be a cool line-up at the tournament in Stockholm, because it is dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Swedish Othello Federation. A small example: two-time world champion Makoto Suekuni will play in the Netherlands, and three-time world champion Takeshi Murakami will play in Sweden.
In short, so far it seems that it will be very difficult for any player to take high places in both of these tournaments. This means that an advantage in the overall Grand Prix standings will be given to those participants who collect a “harvest” of points from all stages. So please note that two well-known players from France - Marc Tastet and Bintsa Andriani - have already registered for all four Grand Prix tournaments. They have clearly started “hunting” for the title of Champion! (By the way, Marс has already become the Grand Prix Champion 4 times, but the last time was in 1997).
Now about the Wroclaw EGP, which will be held on April 13-14. We expect that 16 participants from 5 countries will play in it, with nine players from Poland. One of the main mysteries is connected with the “owners” - what shape is the trio of Polish leaders in now (Dominik Nowak, Paweł Pęczkowski, Milosz Cupial)? They played very well at the 2018 WOC, but after that they “hid” online and played official OTB only among themselves at the Polish Championship.
Players from France can give the Poles a strict test. I already mentioned Marc and Bintsa, but 12-time EGP Champion Takuji Kashiwabara, well-known for their strength, will also come to Wroclaw. They usually play consistently and fight for the top 4 at such tournaments.
In any case, there will be 11 exciting rounds and cool finals. And there is good news for fans: it seems that it will be possible to follow the tournament results online using the Flip the Disc site