Four players end tied for first with 7/9 points

The 32^nd edition of the ProAm Chess Open, officially titled Abierto Internacional PROAM – Copa Clarín Ciudad de Vicente López, was held from 3 to 11 November at the long-standing Villa Martelli Chess Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The nine-round Swiss open attracted 110 participants and once again confirmed its status as a well-established fixture on the local and regional calendar.

The main attraction this year was the participation of Alexei Shirov, representing Spain. With a rating of 2616, he entered the competition as the clear favourite. Two Argentines, Federico Pérez Ponsa and Pablo Acosta, were seeded second and third, both rated above 2500. The next group of top seeds included Yago de Moura Santiago of Brazil, Robert Hungaski of the United States, Diego di Berardino of Brazil and Andrés Rodríguez of Uruguay, all familiar figures in the Latin American chess circuit.

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A round was played daily at 19:30, matching the character of the Argentine capital, which is known for its active evening and night culture. Competitive balance marked the event, with the leading players closely matched throughout the week.

At the end of nine rounds, four players shared first place on 7 points: Robert Hungaski, Federico Pérez Ponsa, Yago de Moura Santiago and Pablo Acosta. Hungaski claimed the winner's trophy thanks to the second tiebreak criterion (Buchholz, Cut 1). The first criterion – results in direct encounters between the tied players – could not be applied, as not all four faced each other during the event as, for instance, Hungaski did not play Acosta.

Seven players followed on 6½ points, including Shirov, whose campaign was affected by a crucial defeat in round seven against Pérez Ponsa.

Alexei Shirov v. Federico Pérez Ponsa on the top board | Photo: Ajedrez Martelli

Yago de Moura Santiago | Photo: Ajedrez Martelli

Hernandez 0-1 Hungaski (Round 8)

Final standings

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...110 players

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Links

• Argentine Chess Federation
• Photo album at the Ajedrez Martelli Facebook page