The 11th edition of the Sunway Sitges Chess Festival concluded on Sunday, bringing excitement and competitive spirit to the idyllic Catalonian town near Barcelona. Known for its festive atmosphere and vibrant side activities, the main event was a 10-round Swiss open that featured 267 players, including 17 grandmasters and 21 international masters.
Savva Vetokhin, aged 15 and competing under the FIDE flag, emerged as the tournament's champion. Seeded 11th, the rising star finished tied for first with Israeli GM Ido Gorshtein, as both scored an impressive 8/10 points. A blitz playoff, a hallmark of the festival's regulations, decided the winner, with Vetokhin securing a convincing 2-0 victory to claim the title.
Born in Moscow in 2009, Vetokhin has rapidly climbed the ranks since winning the U14 World Junior Championship in 2023. His steady progress throughout 2024 included a remarkable performance at the Sants Open in Barcelona, where he gained his first 2500+ Elo rating. In Sitges, Vetokhin added another 17.7 rating points to his tally, showcasing his skill with wins against top-seed Kirill Alekseenko and 2023 world junior champion Marc'Andria Maurizzi.
Savva Vetokhin | Photo: David Llada
The competition remained intense throughout, with nine players finishing just half a point behind the leaders after the classical rounds. A blitz playoff for third to eighth places saw Chinese GM Li Di, aged 25, secure third. Joining him in the playoff were Marc'Andria Maurizzi (France), Tin Jingyao (Singapore), Jules Moussard (France), Mahdi Gholami (Iran), and A R Ilamparthi (India).
Among the standout performers was Iranian WGM Mobina Alinasab, who scored 7/10 points to become the highest-scoring woman participant. Sharing the same score was Ukrainian legend Vasyl Ivanchuk, who, despite missing the first round, delivered memorable performances, including a final-round win against Indian prodigy Savitha Shri (analysed below).
Vasyl Ivanchuk | Photo: David Llada
A spectacular scenery during the blitz playoffs | Photo: David Llada
Analysis by Johannes Fischer
| Ivanchuk, Vasyl2630 | 1–0 | Savitha Shri B2329 | |||||||||||||||||||||
 | 11th Sunway Sitges Festival-A 2024 22.12.2024[Johannes Fischer] | | |||||||||||||||||||||
Savitha Shri thinking at the board while facing Vasyl Ivanchuk | Photo: David Llada
| Rk. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM | Gorshtein, Ido | 2542 | 8 | 62,5 | |
| 2 | GM | Vetokhin, Savva | 2502 | 8 | 62,5 | |
| 3 | GM | Li, Di | 2552 | 7,5 | 60 | |
| 4 | GM | Maurizzi, Marc`andria | 2576 | 7,5 | 60 | |
| 5 | GM | Tin, Jingyao | 2588 | 7,5 | 59,5 | |
| 6 | GM | Moussard, Jules | 2600 | 7,5 | 59,5 | |
| 7 | GM | Gholami Orimi, Mahdi | 2507 | 7,5 | 59 | |
| 8 | IM | Ilamparthi, A R | 2461 | 7,5 | 57,5 | |
| 9 | FM | Kiladze, Luka | 2359 | 7,5 | 56,5 | |
| 10 | GM | Alekseenko, Kirill | 2673 | 7,5 | 56,5 | |
| 11 | FM | Dudognon, Thibault | 2411 | 7,5 | 54,5 | |
| 12 | IM | Song, Edward | 2363 | 7 | 59,5 | |
| 13 | GM | Gavrilescu, David | 2549 | 7 | 59 | |
| 14 | IM | Isanzhulov, Arystan | 2395 | 7 | 59 | |
| 15 | IM | Sofronie, Iulian | 2368 | 7 | 58,5 | |
| 16 | GM | Siddharth, Jagadeesh | 2510 | 7 | 57 | |
| 17 | GM | Lopez Martinez, Josep Manuel | 2455 | 7 | 56,5 | |
| 18 | IM | Arfan, Aditya Bagus | 2416 | 7 | 56,5 | |
| 19 | WGM | Alinasab, Mobina | 2330 | 7 | 55 | |
| 20 | Naoum, Spyridon | 2338 | 7 | 55 | ||
| 21 | IM | Hess, Max | 2385 | 7 | 55 | |
| 22 | GM | Ivanchuk, Vasyl | 2630 | 7 | 53,5 | |
| 23 | IM | Atanasov, Anthony | 2415 | 7 | 53,5 | |
| 24 | FM | Kristoferitsch, Daniel | 2287 | 7 | 53 | |
| 25 | FM | Alexiadis, Hristos | 2341 | 7 | 52,5 |
