Bassem Amin convincingly wins Rilton Cup in Stockholm

Bouncing back from an early loss

The 52^nd edition of the Rilton Cup took place from 27 December to 5 January in Stockholm, Sweden. The tournament, held annually in the Swedish capital, is named in honour of Dr Tore Rilton (1904-1983), whose generosity established the event's enduring legacy. According to the official website, Rilton's initial donation was both surprising and enigmatic. In 1971, the organisers of the Stockholm Open chess tournament received a postal order for SEK 12,000 with a simple directive: "Make a strong tournament". Attempts to contact Dr Rilton for thanks were met with returned letters and a curt refusal to take calls.

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The inaugural Rilton Cup was held in the winter of 1971/72 and was won by the Dutch legend Jan Timman, who scored an impressive 7½/9 points. Over the decades, the tournament has become a staple of the European chess calendar, attracting world-class players and rising stars alike. Only once, in 2020/21, was the event interrupted, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced its cancellation. Instead, an online version of the competition was held, but this is not considered an official edition of the tournament.

This year's Rilton Cup boasted a field of 115 players from 35 countries. The top seeds were Egyptian GM Bassem Amin, Croatian GM Leon Livaic and Estonian GM Kaido Kulaots. The event followed a 9-round Swiss format, with a time control of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, plus 30 minutes for the remainder of the game and a 30-second increment starting from move 1.

Amin, the highest-rated player in the field, lived up to expectations by clinching the title with 7½ points. Despite being the clear favourite, Amin's victory was not without drama. A surprise loss in the second round to Swedish FM Axel Falkevall, while playing with the black pieces, momentarily derailed his momentum.

Falkevall's upset came after Amin went for an early knight sacrifice out of a King's Indian Defence.

Amin's 12...f5 allowed 13.g3, when Black cannot satisfactorily prevent his opponent from gaining a minor piece - e.g. 13...Nh5 14.exf5 Bxf5 15.g4. What Amin had planned, though, was to continue with 13...fxe4 14.gxf4 exf4 15.Bd4 Bxd4 16.Qxd4 c5, giving up the knight at once to get the initiative against the white king stuck in the centre.

Black's central pawns look menacing, but after 17.Qd2 e3 Falkevall found the precise 18.Qe2, when 18.fxe3 would have opened up lines for a potential attack by Black. The Swedish FM continued to defend accurately as Amin kept trying to trick him with clever tactical ideas.

Falkevall kept his extra piece and went on to get a remarkable 35-move victory.

However, the Egyptian GM rebounded in style, winning six games in a row to secure a commanding lead. A final-round draw against German IM Leonardo Costa was sufficient to confirm Amin as the outright winner.

Two players finished just half a point behind Amin in a tie for second place. Polish GM Bartłomiej Heberla and 17-year-old Swedish IM Edvin Trost both scored 7 points.

Final standings

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Links

• Official website
• African Championship 2024: Bassem Amin and Jesse February claim titles
• Bassem Amin: "Reaching 2750 is my next goal"