The Venue: Geropotamos, Crete

The Municipality of Geropotamos, host of the Garry Kasparov vs. Zurab Azmaiparashvili chess match, is located east of the city of Rethymnon and extends from the picturesque seaside village of Panormos to the mountains that rise to the south. It was formed in 1999 under the general restructuring plan of the communities and municipalities of Greece, from the unification of 16 villages: Aghios Mamas, Angeliana, Alfas, Achlades, Kalandares, Margarites, Melidoni, Melissourgaki, Orthes, Panormos, Passalites, Perama, Roumeli, Sises, Skepasti and Choumeri. The Municipality had a population of 8,323 at the latest census in 2001, with Perama (1,650) and Panormos (992) its most populous villages.

Geropotamos gets its name from the seasonal river of the same name, that flows from the mountains into the Aegean Sea, west of Panormos. The area offers a plethora of attractions to the visitor, from the famous beaches of Panormos and Bali, to historic Byzantine churches and monasteries, to unique flora and fauna, to the cave of Melidoni--a place of worship in Mimoan Crete that has yielded numerous findings of exceptional archaeological interest.

The Kasparov vs. Azmaiparashvili games will be played at the  Panormos, located on the coastal road, 20 kilometres east of Rethymnon and 55 kilometres west of Herakleion. The modern-day village of Panormos, which boasts a 10th-century Byzantine basilica, is built on the site where, according to Homer, lay the ancient city of Panormos.