Savva Vetokhin wins Sunway Sitges Open, beats Ido Gorshtein in tiebreaks

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
12/23/2024 – The 11th Sunway Sitges Chess Festival wrapped up in style, delivering a lively atmosphere in the picturesque town near Barcelona. Savva Vetokhin, aged 15, stole the show, winning the title after beating Ido Gorshtein in a blitz playoff. The event saw fierce competition, with Chinese GM Li Di taking third place and Iranian WGM Mobina Alinasab finishing as the top-scoring woman. Living legend Vasyl Ivanchuk added flair, ending his campaign with a remarkable final-round win. | Photo: Official website

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A 15-year-old rising star

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

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

Vasyl Ivanchuk | Photo: David Llada

Sunway Sitges Chess Festival 2024

A spectacular scenery during the blitz playoffs | Photo: David Llada

Ivanchuk v. Savitha

Analysis by Johannes Fischer

Ivanchuk, Vasyl26301–0Savitha Shri B2329
11th Sunway Sitges Festival-A 2024
22.12.2024[Johannes Fischer]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qb6 5.Nb3 e6 6.Nc3 Qc7 7.Be3 a6 8.Na4!? An original idea. With this knight manoeuvre, White neglects development but secures the bishop pair. b5 9.Nb6 Rb8 10.Nxc8 Rxc8 11.a4 Nf6 12.axb5 axb5 13.Bxb5 Nxe4 14.0-0 Nf6 15.c4
The opening went well for White. He has the bishop pair and a strong passed pawn on the b-file, while Black needs to find counterplay. 15...Bd6 16.g3 0-0 17.Qe2 Ra8 An interesting alternative was 17...h5!? to put pressure on White's kingside. The chances would have been roughly equal after this. In the game, however, Black is simply outplayed. 18.Rfd1 Be7 19.Nd4 Nxd4 20.Bxd4 d5 21.Rxa8 Rxa8 22.c5!
With a tactical trick, White secures two connected passed pawns on the queenside. 22...Ne4 Black cannot take the pawn because after 22...Bxc5? 23.Rc1 Ne4 24.Bxc5 Nxc5 25.b4 she loses a piece. 23.b4 Bf6 24.Bxf6 Nxf6 25.Qb2 Rb8 26.Bf1 Ne4 27.Rc1 Rc8 28.Ba6 Rb8 29.Bd3 Ng5 30.b5 d4 31.c6 Rb6 32.f4 Nh3+ 33.Kg2 Nxf4+ A desperate sacrifice in a lost position. However, apart from a few spite checks, this sacrifice achieves nothing for Black. 34.gxf4 Qxf4 35.c7 Qg4+ 36.Kh1
1–0

Savitha Shri

Savitha Shri thinking at the board while facing Vasyl Ivanchuk | Photo: David Llada

Final standings

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Gorshtein, Ido 8 62,5
2 Vetokhin, Savva 8 62,5
3 Li, Di 7,5 60
4 Maurizzi, Marc`andria 7,5 60
5 Tin, Jingyao 7,5 59,5
6 Moussard, Jules 7,5 59,5
7 Gholami Orimi, Mahdi 7,5 59
8 Ilamparthi, A R 7,5 57,5
9 Kiladze, Luka 7,5 56,5
10 Alekseenko, Kirill 7,5 56,5
11 Dudognon, Thibault 7,5 54,5
12 Song, Edward 7 59,5
13 Gavrilescu, David 7 59
14 Isanzhulov, Arystan 7 59
15 Sofronie, Iulian 7 58,5
16 Siddharth, Jagadeesh 7 57
17 Lopez Martinez, Josep Manuel 7 56,5
18 Arfan, Aditya Bagus 7 56,5
19 Alinasab, Mobina 7 55
20 Naoum, Spyridon 7 55
21 Hess, Max 7 55
22 Ivanchuk, Vasyl 7 53,5
23 Atanasov, Anthony 7 53,5
24 Kristoferitsch, Daniel 7 53
25 Alexiadis, Hristos 7 52,5

...267 players

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Carlos 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.

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