Ganja Open Chess Festival awards winners

Winners of the Ganja Open Chess Festival have been announced, Azernews reports. The tournament was co-organized by the Azerbaijan Chess Federation and the Ganja City Executive Power.

In the A group of the tournament, which featured over 300 chess players from 12 countries, Leon Mendonca from India took first place with 7 points.

In the B group, Emil Mehraliyev secured first place with 8 points, ahead of all his competitors. Amin Gurbanov and Alisafa Zeynalli shared 2nd–3rd places, each scoring 7.5 points.

In the Rapid competition, Azerbaijani chess player Khazar Babazade emerged victorious, while the Blitz tournament was won by Uzbekistan's Muhammadzohid Suyarov.

Our representative Tunar Davudov earned his first international master norm.

The festival’s total prize fund amounted to 41,200 manats. The winner of the A group received 10,000 manats, while the first-place finisher in the B group was awarded 1,100.

The festival was held as part of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation's project "Chess Tour Azerbaijan".

For centuries, chess has been a popular game in Azerbaijan, with ancient roots closely related to traditions.

The country could preserve these traditions as chess remains a crucially popular sport for now.

To popularise this original game, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, who is also the chairman of the National Olympic Committee, signed in 2009 an executive order initiating a state-supported chess development program, covering the years 2009-2014.

The 42nd Chess Olympiad, held in Baku, is indeed an excellent example of great attention paid to the development of chess games in the country.

The large-scale event attracted a total of 1,587 participants, including 894 in the Open category and 693 in the Women's event, making the Baku Chess Olympiad a significant event.

Similarly, the FIDE World Chess Cup 2023 in Baku captivated chess fans with its high-calibre competition and exhilarating matches.

Featuring a highly competitive lineup, the World Cup provided an exciting venue to display the remarkable skill and strategic finesse of elite chess players.

Approximately 206 competitors participated in the open section, along with 103 players in the women's competition.

The national chess players have always been taking high places at top-ranked tournaments.