Rapid tournaments in Rome and its towns 15

Italians call a rapid tournament a semilampo, and around Rome it is the most common way to spend a chess weekend. Three clubs run numbered series through the year: the Accademia Scacchistica Romana near Tiburtina, Steinitz in Conca d’Oro and Frascati Scacchi in the Castelli Romani, each on a Saturday or Sunday, and Steinitz with a cap on the number of players.

Other rapids are tied to a place and a season: a cloister and a shopping centre in Bracciano, a village festival in Canale Monterano, a hospital hall in Albano Laziale in December, a free outdoor open at Largo Don Orione in the Appio Tuscolano district. A rapid for blind and visually impaired players, organised with the Bank of Italy’s staff club, also takes other entrants. The youth qualifiers and the school championships use rapid time controls too, and the big festivals add a rapid to their programme.