Diamant, Tari and Supi reach the podium

The Brazil Chess Series - Floripa Open was held from 17 to 25 January in Florianópolis as a 10-round Swiss open. Florianópolis is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Santa Catarina, in Brazil's southern region. The city covers Santa Catarina Island and several smaller surrounding islands, as well as part of the mainland. It is also recognised for having the third-highest Human Development Index among Brazilian cities.

The well-organised tournament attracted a total of 542 players representing 19 different federations. The field included 19 grandmasters and 19 international masters.

A powerful 1.e4 Repertoire

Instead of forcing you to memorise endless lines, Raja focuses on clear plans, typical ideas, and attacking motifs that you can apply in your own games without delay. A short, focused, and practical repertoire.
Grandmaster Harshit Raja, India’s 69th GM, has created a practical and powerful 1.e4 repertoire - perfect for players who want to play aggressively without drowning in opening theory. Whether you’re playing online or over-the-board, this course gives you solid attacking weapons that are easy to learn, fun to play, and difficult for opponents to face. 
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Scandinavian Defence

The top five seeds were José Martínez (Mexico), Aryan Tari (Norway), Rafael Leitão (Brazil), Niclas Huschenbeth (Germany) and Brandon Jacobson (United States). The lineup also featured several well-known figures: Spanish streamers and GMs José "Pepe" Cuenca and David "el Fo" Lariño, 14-year-old Argentine prodigy Ilan Schnaider, and two of Brazil's most successful players of recent years, Luis Paulo Supi and Alexandr Fier, who between them have won seven of the last eight Brazilian national championships.

Ilan Schnaider finished in eighth place with an 8/10 score, and took home a rating gain of 14.9 Elo points | Photo: Vivian Passig

The competition was closely fought throughout and concluded with four players tied for first place on 8½/10. Going into the final round, André Diamant and Aryan Tari shared the lead on 8/9 and were paired against each other. Their direct encounter, a relatively tense struggle, lasted 46 moves and ended in a draw, with Diamant holding the black pieces.

Behind them, eight players began the last round just half a point off the lead, still with realistic chances of catching the frontrunners.

Two players from this chasing group managed to score wins and join the leaders on 8½ points. Neuris Delgado of Paraguay defeated Brandon Jacobson with black, while Luis Paulo Supi won with white against his compatriot Renato Quintiliano. This created a four-way tie for first place between Diamant, Tari, Supi and Delgado.

André Diamant (top left), Aryan Tari (top right), Luis Paulo Supi (bottom left) and Neuris Delgado (bottom right) | Photos: Vivian Passig

Understanding Middlegame Strategy Vol 12: Reversed Colour Systems – King’s Indian/Pirc Defence

In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores the fascinating world of King’s Indian and Pirc structures with colours reversed, often arising from the French or Sicilian.
The King’s Indian Defence is one of the most dynamic openings in chess - and Pirc structures share much of the same DNA. With colours reversed (the King’s Indian Attack), these setups can be just as powerful. What may look modest at first often transforms into highly complex middlegames, where timing, precision, and a deep feel for dynamics make all the difference.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: Misplaced Pieces

The final order was decided by tiebreak criteria, applied in the following sequence: 1) direct encounter, 2) Buchholz cut-2, and 3) sum of opponents' ratings cut-1.

The first criterion could not be used, as the four tied players had not all faced each other during the tournament. On the second tiebreak, Buchholz cut-2, three players remained tied, with Delgado being the one left outside the podium places at this stage. The third criterion, the sum of opponents' ratings cut-1, ultimately determined the podium, ranking André Diamant first, Aryan Tari second and Luis Paulo Supi third.

Both Diamant and Tari completed the tournament undefeated. Supi's only loss came against Diamant, while Delgado also suffered a single defeat, losing to Fabián Vivas in round six.

Diamant, a 35-year-old grandmaster from Fortaleza, is a former Brazilian champion, having won the national title in 2008 at just 18 years of age. His peak FIDE rating of 2547 was achieved in January 2020.

André Diamant | Photo: Vivian Passig

Huschenbeth 1-0 Casalaspro: A fine attacking win

King’s Indian – A Complete Repertoire for Black Part 1 & 2

GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
The King’s Indian Defence has been one of the most dynamic and popular responses to 1.d4 for decades. Legends such as Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer, and Hikaru Nakamura have employed it at the highest level – and it continues to fascinate today, as it offers Black not only solidity but also rich attacking and counterattacking opportunities. Its special advantage: the King’s Indian is a universal system, equally effective against 1.d4, 1.c4, and 1.Nf3. Grandmaster Felix Blohberger, multiple Austrian Champion and experienced second, presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black. His approach: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: London System

Niclas Huschenbeth finished in eleventh place with 8/10 points - here facing Ilan Schnaider in round nine (draw) | Photo: Vivian Passig

Final standings

...542 players

All available games

Links

• Tournament website
• All technical information on Chess-Results