Belgians abroad: Saint Antonin Noble Val: July 7 – 12, 2025

If there is a chess paradise, it might look very much like Saint Antonin Noble Val. What a great adventure that was for me. I fell from one pleasant surprise into another there. I have never experienced anything like it. None of my previous classic tournaments (over 60 of them) comes close. It is unimaginable that this jewel in the chess circuit is still unknown but this article will change everything.

However, at first I had to move heaven and earth to convince my favorite fellow traveler (my daughter Evellien). Are we really going to drive 2000 kilometers for a chess tournament and won’t it be way too hot there? With 2 fans in the trunk and “the luck” that the attractive La Plage Tarentaise (where at the same time in the south of France there were many Belgians) was not suitable to play together because of 2 different playing halls according to strength 6 kilometers away, I got the green light. Saint Antonin Noble Val had been on my wish list since 2018 see https://schaken-brabo.blogspot.com/2018/11/vakantie-deel-5.html so finally it came about.

Driving 1000 kilometers in 1 day is feasible. I did it in returning because I already had to work the next day but much more pleasant is to make a stopover. In driving through, I chose Orleans, the city of France’s greatest heroine Joan of Arc. It is a very charming town that is definitely worth a visit.

We arrived in Orleans on Saturday and the first round in Saint Antonin Noble Val wasn’t until Monday. So I even had time to visit something on Sunday. Oradour-sur-Glane was recommended to me and I can only agree, at least if you don’t shudder too much at horror stories. It is an open-air museum of the horrors committed by the Nazis in World War². The photo below leaves nothing to the imagination.

Dozens of completely destroyed houses and several burned-out vintage cars bear witness to a massacre where more than 600 men, women but also many children were murdered.

For travelers who want to visit nicer places in transit, I was also recommended Limoges, Rocamadour and Cahors. In short, there is still a lot for me to discover as well.

If I have learned anything from playing many tournaments it is best to pay a little extra for comfort. With we really were in a 5 star B&B. The room, service and breakfast were absolutely top notch. For my daughter who prefers English to French, it was very welcome that the managers were English.

Good and tasty food is also always very important to me during a tournament and in Saint Antonin Noble Val that was absolutely worth it. I am a Burgundian told Dutch grandmaster Koen Leenhouts in a podcast of the Lange Rokade and I am proud of that nickname.

A nice steak with greens and potatoes can be had for as little as 18 euros at L’Atelier. I also liked the non-alcoholic beer.

A gourmet three-course meal for only 33 euros at L’Auberge_des Sense. Langoustines, foie gras, Crème brûlée, … I wanted to go back every day but my daughter did not agree.

Ok nice vacation spot but didn’t you play a chess tournament there and what is different from other tournaments?

• Saint Antonin Noble Val has a chess cafe: Restaurant Guinguette. Every night there was thick ambiance and numerous chess players descended there. I discovered it a little too late because I only went there to eat a chocolate cake after the awards ceremony.

• Saint Antonin Noble Val has a little chessboard island available in the water. I had my swimsuit with me but my daughter Evelien did not so it became just a remote photo. On this blog you can see that there really is chess.

• Saint Antonin Noble Val has a spectacular market with plenty of fruits and vegetables I had never seen before. Keep a Sunday free for this because it is worth it. However, the most surprising thing I found was that there was even a market vendor with chess boards and others games. Who has experienced such a thing?

• The tournament had particularly democratic drink prices. I even rediscovered the euro cent there. I asked afterwards why 73 euro cents or 76 euro cents for the fine wine. To tease the bar women I was told. In a previous edition everyone on the top boards drank wine during the last round because then everything is half price !

• The winner’s name will be engraved in a 300 kilogram stone king. There is a youtube video of how it was made and how the stone was transported. Well if you win the tournament then the picture is complete. I specifically returned after the awards ceremony to have a photo taken with white shirt. Too bad I had not yet learned Koen’s tip on how to get a creased shirt clean see round-5-weather-remise.

In short, more than enough reasons to call this the best tournament ever and then I am not even talking about the multiple daily trips we could make. I suspect that because of the heat, the organization opted for mostly morning games and that had the very nice bonus of having several afternoons free. Too bad more chess tournaments don’t employ such a schedule. The scenery was breathtaking.

I have to wrap up because this article is getting way too long. Maybe I should do another series of presentations on this most beautiful tournament because there is so much more to tell and show. I think of the exciting rally with another red car among the sunflower fields with my daughter as co-pilot. Or walking daily through a medieval street labyrinth from B&B to tournament hall and back. Or eating a nice pizza under the oldest and very beautiful belfry of the world in Saint Antonin Noble Val or the invitation to a private party or …

Oh I forgot to show some of my chess games but no one is waiting for that of course. I think the game below can still pass with a piece sacrifice and a quiet move. Donner would have liked it too with my sweet little a-pawn forcing the give-up.

If I can’t get there myself next year then give them all my very best regards ! Be quick because the tournament has a limited capacity ! I recommend every chess player to participate at least once.

Helmut Froeyman