7/4/2025 – The 38th edition of the Leon Masters will be held from 4 to 6 July at the City of Leon Auditorium, following its traditional four-player knockout format with rapid time controls. As one of Spain's most prestigious chess events, it continues to attract top international talent. This year's lineup features former World Champion Vishy Anand, Vietnam's Le Quang Liem, local grandmaster Jaime Santos and the young Argentine prodigy Faustino Oro.
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One of Spain's most established chess events
From 4 to 6 July, the city of León will once again host the Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez Ciudad de León, one of Spain's most established chess competitions. The 2025 edition will follow the traditional format: a four-player knockout event held over three days at the City of Leon Auditorium. Each match comprises four rapid games played with a time control of 20 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move. In case of a tie, players continue with 5+3 blitz games until a winner emerges.
The semi-finals will take place on 4 and 5 July, with the final scheduled for 6 July. All matches begin at 16:30 local time. Grandmaster Jaime Santos, representing the host city, aims to repeat his 2023 success but acknowledged the difficulty of the challenge, given the strength of the invited players: Vishy Anand, Faustino Oro and Le Quang Liem.
This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors how to successfully organise your games strategically, and how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure.
Following a drawing of lots, the participants were thus paired up for the semifinals:
Friday semifinal: Vishy Anand v. Faustino Oro
Saturday semifinal: Le Quang Liem v. Jaime Santos
Alongside the main event, the tournament programme includes the 10th Open Magistral and the 5th Blitz Tournament, both featuring international participation. A series of educational and cultural activities will also take place, reinforcing the tournament's broader mission of promoting chess across the community. According to León's mayor, José Antonio Diez, the event highlights the city's commitment to chess through local sports schools and its role in shaping values among young players.
The action starts daily from Friday to Sunday at 16.30 CEST.
The players
Vishy Anand returns to León as the most decorated player in the tournament's history. Born in Chennai, India, Anand has claimed the World Championship title five times and is currently ranked 13th in the world. Known for the speed of his play, Anand won his first world title in Tehran in 2000 and added further titles in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012. He has faced and defeated many of the greatest players of his era, including Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov and Boris Gelfand. A disciplined and multilingual competitor, he remains one of the most respected figures in global chess.
In 2024, Anand secured his tenth victory at the Leon Masters, defeating Jaime Santos in the final and further cementing his dominance at this event. Revered not only for his accomplishments but also for his consistency and sportsmanship, Anand's participation brings both prestige and experience to the 2025 edition.
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Faustino Oro, representing Argentina, will make history in León as the youngest participant ever to compete in the main event. Born in Buenos Aires in 2013 and now residing in Badalona, Spain, the 11-year-old became the youngest International Master in chess history last year (a record that has now been broken).
Having taken up the game during the Covid-19 pandemic, Oro's rise has been rapid and widely noted in the international chess community. He has led the world rankings in all age categories from under-8 to under-12 and achieved his final IM norm in June 2024.
Le Quang Liem, currently ranked 22nd in the world, will make his debut appearance at the Leon Masters in 2025. The Vietnamese grandmaster earned his GM title in 2006 and has built a strong international career, including becoming World Blitz Champion in 2013 and Asian Champion in 2019. A former under-14 World Champion, Le has consistently represented Vietnam at Chess Olympiads, delivering standout performances such as his 8/10 score on board one in 2012.
Now based in the United States, Le serves as the head coach of the Webster University chess team in Saint Louis. In 2024, he added another highlight to his career by defeating reigning World Champion Ding Liren on top board during a team event. Known for his disciplined approach and deep preparation, Le will be looking to make a strong impression in his first appearance in León.
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Jaime Santos will represent the host city once again, aiming to improve on his runner-up finish in 2024. The 29-year-old Spanish grandmaster is currently ranked fifth nationally and has featured in the final of the Leon Masters in each of the last two editions. He claimed the title in 2023 after defeating Boris Gelfand, becoming the first local player to do so. That same year, he also won the European Rapid Championship.
Santos' steady rise has included notable results against top opposition. In 2022, he reached the final after tying with Spain's top-rated player Francisco Vallejo. He also reached the final of the online 2020 edition and has been a co-champion of Spain. Santos will hope to use his experience and home support to compete for a second Leon Masters title.
Carlos Alberto ColodroCarlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
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.
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.
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.
Opening videos: Sipke Ernst brings the Ulvestad Variation up to date + Part II of ‘Mikhalchishin's Miniatures’. Special: Jan Werle shows highlights from the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in the video. ‘Lucky bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, Illingworth et al.
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.
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