Jobava and Sanal on the podium

The 2025 Baku Open concluded on 6 May at the beautiful Baku Crystal Hall, marking the first event in the newly established Chess Tour Azerbaijan, a series of eight tournaments to be held across the country.

The event featured three sections (Groups A, B, and C) each following a 9-round Swiss format with classical time control. Nearly 700 players from 16 countries participated, competing for a total prize fund of $55,000, with $12,000 awarded to the Group A winner.

In Group A, Aleksandar Indjic of Serbia lived up to his status as the top seed, claiming the title with a score of 7/9. The 2024 European Champion remained unbeaten throughout the event, securing decisive wins at key moments, including a pivotal fifth-round victory over Mahammad Muradli of Azerbaijan. Muradli, who had started strongly with four consecutive wins, lost momentum after the defeat and failed to recover the lead. Two rounds later, Indjic got the better of title contender Vahap Sanal while marshalling the black pieces (see analysis of the game below).

Master Class Vol. 18: Max Euwe

Experts examine the games of Max Euwe. Let them show you which openings Euwe chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were, which tactical abilities he had or how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame.
Max Euwe became the fifth World Chess Champion after beating Alexander Alekhine in the 1935 World Championship match. A maths teacher by profession, Euwe remained an amateur throughout his life, but was still the best chess player in the Netherlands, and one of the world's best players. Euwe holds the record for the most Dutch national championships, with twelve. After winning the World Championship, Euwe was also the world's best player for a while. He lost the title again in 1937 in the rematch against Alexander Alekhine.
Free video sample: Openings

Georgian GM Baadur Jobava and Turkish GM Vahap Sanal finished just half a point behind Indjic, each scoring 6½/9. Jobava, who also remained undefeated, secured second place based on the higher average rating of his opponents, while Sanal took third.

In Group B, Georgian player Nikoloz Chkhaidze emerged as the winner, while Group C saw a tightly contested finish, with Akbar Mirzayev of Azerbaijan edging out Kamran Babayev on tiebreaks (Buchholz system) to claim the title.

Aleksandar Indjic

Sanal 0-1 Indjic

Attacking with the Jobava London System

The Jobava London System is a minor form of the London System. White tries to play Lf4 quickly followed by Nc3.

The spacious playing hall

Final standings

....60 players

All available games

Links

• Official website
• Aleksandar Indjic wins 2024 European Championship