Milan Somborac wants to make Collingwood the chess capital of Canada not only because it’s the place he calls home, but because Collingwood is a nationally recognized town with mass appeal.

Four years ago, the retired dentist founded the Somborac Chess Festival, and the event has been steadily growing in size and popularity. This year welcomed eighty players mostly from Ontario, and among the participants were nationally ranked champions. The festival runs over three days with players competing in five rounds across three divisions, and the top prize is $5000.

Somborac is a Yugoslavian-born chess player who grew up with the sport, explaining that in Europe, everybody played the game. In what is now Serbia, there are 52 Grand Masters out of a total 8 million citizens. By contrast, there are currently only 12 Grand Masters living in all of Canada, so Somborac is confident that there is ample room for the sport to grow. As a Collingwood resident, he believes that has community is poised to become the country’s chess epicentre, and he is thrilled with how the festival has grown since its inception.

For more information on the Somborac Chess Festival, visit https://collingwoodchessfestival.com/