World Amateur Chess Championship Thessaloniki, Greece 27 April - 4 May 2009.

This annual tournament will be staged as part of a games festival. It is a great opportunity for untitled players rated below FIDE-elo 2000 to obtain a FIDE rating. The winner will automatically be awarded with a FM title and a rating of 2200. There will also be automatic ratings for players finishing 2nd and 3rd.

The World Amateur Ladies Chess Championship will be held at the same time with FIDE titles and ratings also available.

Entry is per individual but must be made via your National Chess Federation. All details available on Chessdom or the Event Consulting web sites.

International Open Thessaloniki, Greece 27 April - 3 May 2009

This tournament will be held adjacent to the World Amateur and is a 9 Round Fide rated tournament for players rated above 2000 FIDE-elo. More details at Chessdom.

The packages and fees actually look quite reasonable in today's high priced environment. Maybe it is worth investigating as a possible tournament to send young players to for international exposure?