The third edition of Open Chess Menorca, supported by the FIDE Aid Package, took place in Ciutadella de Menorca (Spain), in the 4-star MarSenses Paradise Club from April 02-07, 2024.
The 9-round Swiss tournament with classical time control brought together nearly 300 players, including such big names as Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin (both India), Vladimir Fedoseev (Slovenia), Hans Niemann (USA) and Jorden Van Foreest (Netherlands), to name a few.
The race for the title was very tight with several players sharing the top position most of the way. However, after the penultimate round the rating favorite Arjun Erigaisi scored a crucial victory over his compatriot Aryan Chopra and emerged as the sole leader with 7/8, heading to the final round a half-point ahead of six players.
The Indian GM made a quick draw with the white pieces against Vladimir Fedoseev and allowed Kirill Alekseenko (Austria) and Maxim Chigaev (Spain), who notched up final-round wins, to catch up with him. As a result, three players tied for place with Erigaisi claiming the title thanks to a superior Buchholz. Interestingly, Indian players won all three editions of the Menorca Open.
Alekseenko and Chigaev came second and third respectively.
Final standings:
|
1 |
GM |
Erigaisi, Arjun |
IND |
2756 |
7½ |
|
2 |
GM |
Alekseenko, Kirill |
AUT |
2655 |
7½ |
|
3 |
GM |
Chigaev, Maksim |
ESP |
2621 |
7½ |
|
4 |
GM |
Fedoseev, Vladimir |
SLO |
2690 |
7 |
|
5 |
GM |
Aryan, Chopra |
IND |
2630 |
7 |
|
6 |
GM |
Yuffa, Daniil |
ESP |
2607 |
7 |
|
7 |
IM |
Vogel, Roven |
GER |
2528 |
7 |
|
8 |
GM |
Dardha, Daniel |
BEL |
2630 |
6½ |
|
9 |
GM |
Van Foreest, Jorden |
NED |
2668 |
6½ |
|
10 |
GM |
Krzyzanowski, Marcin |
POL |
2510 |
6½ |
Photos: Open Chess Menorca Facebook
Official website: openchessmenorca.com/
