The 2009 World Youth Chess Championship will kick off in Antalya’s Kemer district on Friday. Kemer hosts the event for the second time, following the 2007 competition.

This year, the competition sets the stage for battles among 1375 participants from 88 countries all over the world, including 151 participants from Turkey.

“Perseverance, self-sacrifice, patience, training and the usage of time in a planned manner are the driving forces behind success,” said Kemer Mayor Mustafa Gül in his speech on the opening night. “The most efficient way to teach all of these to our children is chess.”

Gül also thanked everyone who contributed to make the event possible and expressed his best wishes to all the competitors.