Le Relais Nordique de Giron

♟️ About Le Relais Nordique de Giron

Le Relais Nordique is a hotel, restaurant, group accommodation center, and event venue located in Giron, in the Jura Mountains of eastern France. The establishment combines accommodation, catering, meeting facilities, and outdoor activities in one location, making it particularly suitable for multi-day residential events. The property is situated at 50 Route de la Pesse, 01130 Giron, close to the Haut-Jura mountain environment. Its facilities include hotel rooms, group accommodation, a traditional restaurant, reception and meeting rooms, and sports services. The venue can accommodate large groups and provides both half-board and full-board arrangements. Florent Vacher is the principal public contact associated with Le Relais Nordique and is identified by regional tourism and accommodation organizations as the establishment’s representative. The venue also works with external specialists when organizing themed events, including chess competitions.

🏆 Chess Events & Activities

Le Relais Nordique entered international chess tournament organization with the 1er Open International des Montagnes du Jura +50 2027, scheduled from February 27 to March 7, 2027. The French Chess Federation lists Le Relais Nordique de Giron as the official organizer of the tournament. The event is a nine-round FIDE-rated classical competition reserved for Senior+ and Veteran players. Sylvain Wlassewitch serves as arbiter and tournament contact. The tournament has been designed as a residential chess event rather than simply a competition held in a rented playing hall. Players can stay directly at Le Relais Nordique, take their meals on site, and participate in activities in the surrounding Jura Mountains during the mornings before the afternoon rounds. The inaugural edition offers a published prize fund of €1,500, including €500 for first place, €300 for second, and €200 for third. The combination of tournament chess, accommodation, gastronomy, and mountain activities gives the event a distinctive chess-holiday format.

🏨 Venue & Group Facilities

Le Relais Nordique is particularly well equipped for residential tournaments and group events. The establishment provides accommodation for large groups through its hotel rooms and gîtes, while its restaurant can provide breakfast, lunch, dinner, half-board, and full-board arrangements. Four different meeting and reception spaces are available. Depending on the room, they can accommodate smaller groups of around 10–15 people or larger gatherings of up to approximately 100 participants. Audiovisual equipment is also available for meetings and organized events. The property additionally operates a sports center and equipment shop covering activities such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, mountain biking, and other outdoor pursuits. This makes it possible to combine chess tournaments with recreational programs for players and accompanying family members.

📚 Development & Event Concept

Le Relais Nordique has traditionally specialized in mountain tourism, group stays, school trips, sports activities, seminars, and private events. The establishment’s infrastructure allows accommodation, meals, meeting spaces, and recreational activities to be coordinated within a single venue. The launch of the Open International des Montagnes du Jura +50 extends this group-event model into international chess. Rather than separating the playing venue from accommodation and meals, the tournament places the complete event experience at Le Relais Nordique. For chess players, this creates a residential format in which the tournament, accommodation, catering, and leisure activities are concentrated in the same mountain location. The 2027 event represents the establishment’s first international FIDE-rated chess Open and may provide a foundation for further chess activities in Giron.