One of the greatest young talents on the international chess scene came out on top at the Baku Open 2026: Iranian grandmaster Sina Movahed won the strong tournament with an outstanding 8/9 score, finishing ahead of numerous established grandmasters such as top seed Daniil Dubov, Ruslan Ponomariov and Pranav Anand, whom he defeated in impressive fashion in the final round.

Sina Movahed during the post-tournament interview | Photo: Organiser

The traditional open tournament, which in recent years has emerged as one of the rising events on the international calendar, was held from late April to early May at the Baku Crystal Hall. Around 900 players from more than a dozen nations took part, spread across several Swiss-system sections.

In the Masters group, a closely contested race for first place developed early on. After six rounds, a large group of players shared the lead before Movahed moved ahead with a series of crucial victories. The young grandmaster showed remarkable composure, especially in the final stages of the tournament: he defeated his closest rivals in direct encounters and entered the last round with a clear lead. There, he sealed tournament victory with another win and an impressive performance rating of 2819, bringing him close to the 2600 mark.

Although the tournament leader started the final round with a one-point advantage, he did not abandon his fighting approach:

Behind him, the podium places were decided by tiebreak after several players finished on the same score. Thanks to their superior tiebreaks, IM Santhosh Parvathareddy Ajay and Azerbaijan’s Khazar Babazadar claimed silver and bronze respectively. Tournament favourites Daniil Dubov (FIDE), Ruslan Ponomariov (UKR), the loser of the game above and himself still an U20 player, Pranav Anand, as well as former Candidates participant Nijat Abasov (AZE), had to settle for 5th, 8th, 9th and 20th place respectively.

Many young players took part in the festival’s three open tournaments. | Photo: Azerbaijan Chess Federation

From an organisational point of view, the tournament underlined Azerbaijan’s growing importance as a chess venue. High-ranking representatives from sports politics and international federations attended the event and emphasised Baku’s role as a permanent fixture on the international tournament calendar. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich was present at the closing ceremony. | Photo: Organisers

Final standings

...100 participants

Games