XXVIII International Open of Andorra

The XXVIII International Open of Andorra was held from July 18 to July 25 with a field of 150 players, including 15 grandmasters and WGMs, and 20 international masters coming from all over to play in the picturesque micronation of Andorra.

The playing hall in St. Gothard Hotel.

The surprise winner of the 28th edition of the International Open of Andorra was IM Dan Zoler from Israel, ranked 19th in the tournament's Elo list with a rating of "only" 2474 Fide. He came in sole first with 7.5/9.

IM Dan Zoler holding his 1st place trophy, next to Manel Blasi, secretary of sports
in Andorra.

This became possible thanks to the circumstances that panned out in the last round. The top two boards featured Elo favorites, Balogh (2628) against Bruzón (2653), and Hamdouchi (2600) against Narciso (2540), who opted to not take any chances of jeopardizing their tournament and ended in peaceful draws.

Round nine: Hamdouchi vs. Narciso (foreground), and Balogh vs. Bruzón (rear).

These results left the Israeli international master Dan Zoler, as the only player with a mathematical chance of taking sole first, however this meant going past French grandmaster Edouard Romain (2620), who was a half point behind the field, and desperately needing a win to get a chance at a healthier payday. The day was to be the Israeli's however, as he played a very sharp game and saw his gambles pay off.

In second place was the Elo favorite, Cuban grandmaster Lázaro Bruzón, third has Hicham Hamdouchi, and fourth was the Hungarian Csaba Balogh. Remarkably, in fifth place, with a 2617 performance, was the reigning Under-14 world champion, the 14-year-old Peruvian grandmaster Jorge Cori.

Peruvian wunderkind, 14-year-old GM Jorge Cori, 5th place and a 2617 performance

It is worth adding that his sister, Peruvian WGM Deysi Cori (2408), and reigning Under-16 girl's world champion, also partook in the tournament.

Peruvian WGM Deysi Cori, under-16 girl's world champion.

Final standings

A little about Andorra

Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra (Catalan: Principat d'Andorra), is a small country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France.

It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of 468 km2 (181 sq mi) and an estimated population of 83,888 in 2009. Its capital, Andorra la Vella, is one of the highest capital cities in Europe, resting at an elevation of 1023 metres.

Aerial view of Andora la Vella nestled in the eastern Pyrenees.

The official language is Catalan, although Spanish, French, and Portuguese are also commonly spoken. The Principality was formed in 1278. The role of monarch is exercised jointly by the two co-princes, the President of the French Republic and the Bishop of Urgell, Catalonia, Spain. This peculiarity makes the President of France, in his capacity as Prince of Andorra, the only reigning monarch actually elected in regular intervals by vote. The people of Andorra have the 2nd highest human life expectancy in the world — 82 years at birth.

Its location makes it a favorite skiing point in the Winter.

The Esglesia de Sant Esteve (or the Saint Stephen church) located in the center of
the capital, boasts eleventh century Romanesque-style architecture.

Be sure to visit the beautiful Pessons Lake in the Valle d'Orient.

Another view of Pessons Lake.

Links Official tournament site All games in CBH (.zip) To read, replay and analyse the PGN games we adivse you to download the free PGN reader ChessBase Light. This program also gives you immediate access to the chess server Playchess.com.