Murzin, Lu and Ivanchuk reach the podium

By Luis Barona Boj / Press Officer

The ninth edition of this large-scale event, held in San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, from 16 to 21 April, concluded with a record number of participants and titled players.

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With over 700 participants from 350 different countries, 235 of whom held titles, the event ranks among the most important in Europe.

The playing hall | Photos: Luis Barona

An undefeated champion

Volodar Murzin started as the top seed of the open A tournament and never left the top board, facing, round after round, the strongest opponents and contenders for the top spots on the final podium.

Volodar Murzin scored 7½ points, sharing the same final tally with three other players – GM Shanglei Lu from China, GM Vasyl Ivanchuk from Ukraine, and GM Sethuraman from India – all of whom remained undefeated. The final rankings were determined by the tiebreak criteria outlined in the tournament rules.

Open A podium: 1^st GM Volodar Murzin, 2^nd GM Shanglei Lu and 3^rd GM Vasyl Ivanchuk | Photo: Luis Barona

Numerous achievements in a star-studded event

The FIDE norms achieved by players in the tournament were a well-deserved reward for excellent performances, with a total of 6 certificates issued. Two GM norms were awarded to Edgar Mamedov (Kazakhstan) and Enes Tanriverdi (Turkey), and four IM norms went to Lorenzo Perea (Spain), Mark Smirnov (Kazakhstan), Patryk Cieslak (Poland), and Das Sriansh (India).

Noteworthy too were the FIDE and FEDA Arbiter Norms achieved, as well as Fair Play Expert FIDE accreditations obtained by members of the team who implemented the certified security protocol. The event officially adopted FIDE's Fair Play system to ensure clean play, with strict security measures in place.

Victory for Elena Rodríguez in Group B

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The competition was divided into two groups: Group A in an open format and Group B for players with a FIDE rating below 1900 points.

Group B (under-1900) podium: 1^st Elena Rodríguez Canovas, 2^nd Zurab Gongliashvili and 3^rd Ruslan Dudkin | Photo: Luis Barona

The player from Murcia, Elena Rodríguez Canovas, with an 8 out of 9 final score, claimed victory in the amateur group. Tied on 7½ points were Zurab Gongliashvili from Georgia and Ruslan Dudkin from Ukraine, who finished second and third respectively.

Young participants playing with veteran-like composure

No fewer than a dozen young players competed with the calm of seasoned masters, proving to be tough opponents round after round. Particularly notable were IM Faustino Oro from Argentina, FM Mark Smirnov from Kazakhstan, Russian-born GM Savva Vetokhin and FM Christian Gloeckler from Germany.

Outstanding young players: IM Faustino Oro, FM Mark Smirnov, GM Savva Vetokhin and FM Christian Gloeckler | Photos: Luis Barona

Numerous other prizewinners

The tournament offered numerous prizes across categories and rating brackets. Among the highlights were IM Sabrina Vega, multiple-time Spanish Champion, as the top female player; veteran GM Mihail Marín from Romania in the 50+ category; and GM Daniel Cámpora from Argentina in the 65+ category. In the under-16 category, Cieslak Patryk from Poland was the top scorer.

IM Sabrina Vega | Photo: Luis Barona

The town of San Vicente de Raspeig has shown full commitment to this major international chess event. Spectators could follow the progress of the games from the stands with free entry, as well as via major online chess platforms with live broadcasts.

The event also enjoyed the support of various public bodies, including the Alicante Provincial Council and the Valencian Regional Government, alongside collaboration from the International Chess Federation, the Spanish Chess Federation and the Chess Federation of the Valencian Community.

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IO Patricia Claros, event organiser | Photo: F. Marín

A photo to remember: top prizewinners with International Organiser Patricia Claros | Photo: Luis Barona

Final Standings

...541 players

All available games

Links

• Official website
• All technical information on Chess-Results: Open A | Open B