GM Nikita Petrov successfully defended his national title, winning the 2025 Montenegrin Championship.
Held at the National Library "Radosav Ljumović", the 11-round Swiss tournament with classical time control took place from January 31 to February 9 in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. The event featured 50 of the country’s strongest players, including five Grandmasters and five International Masters.
Top-seeded Petrov took the lead at the tournament’s midpoint and maintained a half-point advantage over FM Nemanja Vukčević heading into the final round. After Vukčević made a quick draw against Peko Đurović, Petrov (pictured below, left) needed only a half-point against Veljko Šćekić to clinch the title. However, he was not content with settling for less and defeated Šćekić, finishing clear first with an impressive 9.5/11. The champion scored eight wins, conceding only three draws throughout the event.
Eighth-seeded Nemanja Vukčević remained in contention for gold until the very end and secured silver with 8.5/11, gaining an impressive 46 rating points and securing an IM norm. GM Denis Kadrić won his final-round game to complete the podium.
Mateja Popovic became the most successful lady, while Ilija Milović was the best youngster in the event.
Final standings:
|
1 |
GM |
Petrov, Nikita |
2585 |
9½ |
|
2 |
FM |
Vukcevic, Nemanja |
2312 |
8½ |
|
3 |
GM |
Kadric, Denis |
2551 |
8 |
|
4 |
FM |
Djurovic, Peko |
2265 |
7½ |
|
5 |
FM |
Sukovic, Andrej |
2264 |
7½ |
|
6 |
GM |
Nikcevic, Nebojsa |
2333 |
7 |
|
7 |
IM |
Kalezic, Blazo |
2382 |
7 |
|
8 |
IM |
Podlesnik, Bogdan |
2288 |
7 |
|
9 |
IM |
Vujosevic, Vladimir |
2250 |
6½ |
|
10 |
IM |
Tomic, Aleksandar |
2309 |
6½ |