Tournament Review: White Horse GM Tournament

After playing terribly in the Abu Dhabi and Fujairah events, I wasn’t planning to play any more tournaments. But after coming back, I randomly checked flight tickets for this event — and to my surprise, I found a deal for just ₹40,000. I asked the organizer if there was still a spot available, and when he said yes, I immediately booked a flight to Vienna from Mumbai.
The event was held from 25th September to 2nd October in a small Hungarian town called Mosonmagyaróvár. It had two categories — an IM Closed and a GM Closed group.
The top seed was GM Pechac Jergus, one of the strongest players from Slovakia. Along with him, there were two other GMs, five IMs, and one WGM. The minimum score required for a GM norm was 7/9, and for an IM norm, 5.5/9.

Organization

The tournament hall was excellent and spacious, with separate halls for the GM and IM groups. The organizers personally came to pick me up from Vienna airport — they were already waiting when I arrived. Everything was well managed: drinking water, coffee, tea, and snacks were all provided.
I paid €350 as the entry fee.

Accommodation

I stayed at Hotel Minerva, Mosonmagyaróvár, booked through the organizers. The cost was €45 per night, including breakfast. The hotel was quite good for the price — a typical European-style motel located close to the tournament hall. Wi-Fi worked smoothly.
Breakfast was also nice; I especially liked the scrambled eggs — the way they prepared them was perfect.

About the City

The town itself was quite small, and I didn’t have much time to explore. It’s well known for dental treatments, and the organizer mentioned that many people from Austria visit for affordable dental care. I did manage to visit a few supermarkets and tried some common European snacks.

Ratings

• Organization 10/10
• Hotel 8/10
• Safety 10/10
• Food 9/10

Expenses Breakdown

Flights - 40000 / 390 Euros
Hotel - 37000 INR / 360 Euros
Entry Fee - 36000 INR / 350 Euros
Transport to and from Vienna - 5000 INR / 50 Euros
Vienna Stay - 6000 INR / 60 Euros
Transport to and from my home - 3000 INR / 30 Euros
Food and Other Expenses - 10000 INR / 100 Euros
Total: ₹1,37,000 (around €1,340)

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