Elllobregat Open: Gorshtein and Sokolovsky in Joint Lead After Round 6

by Niklesh Jain - 05/12/2024

The 5th Elllobregat Open Chess Tournament, renowned for its competitive strength and historical significance, is approaching its final four rounds. After six intense rounds, Israel’s GM Ido Gorshtein and GM Yahli Sokolovsky share the top spot with 5.5 points each. The tournament, which began in 2019, has crowned notable champions like India’s GM S.L. Narayanan and Uzbekistan’s GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov. One of the tournament’s standout performers is local star FM Javier Habans, the reigning U16 World Champion from Spain. With a remarkable victory over GM Mikheil Kekelidze in Round 6, Habans has strengthened his chances of earning an IM norm, With several top players in close pursuit, the final rounds promise more intense battles in this prestigious event. Report & Photo by Niklesh Jain

Elllobregat Open: Gorshtein and Sokolovsky in Joint Lead After Round 6

The 5th Elllobregat Open Chess Tournament, known as Spain’s strongest open chess event, is now heading into its final stages. With four rounds remaining in this 10-round competition, the excitement continues to rise, promising thrilling battles in the rounds to come.

The Elllobregat Open has established a rich legacy since its inception in 2019. The first edition saw India’s GM S.L. Narayanan claim the title, with Arjun Erigaisi finishing third. In 2021, Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan took home the trophy, followed by Iran’s Amin Tabatabaei in 2022. Last year, Narayanan reclaimed the title, further solidifying the tournament’s reputation as one of the most prestigious open chess events.

Round 6 Highlights

The sixth round featured intense clashes across the top boards, with seven decisive games out of ten. On Board 1, GM Ido Gorshtein (Israel) facedGM Cristobal Henriquez Villagra (Chile) in a Queen’s Gambit Declined, Exchange Variation. The game ended in a draw after 34 moves, allowing Gorshtein to maintain his joint lead with 5.5 points.

Board 2 saw GM Yahli Sokolovsky (Israel) defeat his compatriot IM Nadav Zemach in a Bogo-Indian Defense. Sokolovsky’s brilliant endgame play, leveraging a passed pawn, earned him a crucial victory, putting him level with Gorshtein at the top.

On Board 3, IM Sebastian Sanchez Felipe (Colombia) and GM Martin Kraemer (Germany) settled for a draw in a well-contested match.

Board 4 witnessed a strong performance by FM Javier Habans Aguerrea (Spain), who defeated GM Mikheil Kekelidze (Georgia) in an English Opening. Habans, the U-16 World Champion, demonstrated precise endgame technique, clinching victory in 48 moves. With 5 points, he is now set to face top-seeded Henriquez Villagra in the next round.

On Board 5, IM Artiom Stribuk (FIDE) secured a victory over GM Momchil Petkov (Bulgaria)

while on Board 6, GM Julen Luis Arizmendi Martinez (Spain) defeated IM Hampus Sorensen(Sweden) in a closely fought game.

In other notable results, GM Marcin Tazbir (Poland) overcame FM Lukas Dotzer (Austria) on Board 7.

GM Cem Kaan Gokerkan (Turkey) won against FM Artyom Bogdanov (Kazakhstan) on Board 8,

and IM Tsvetan Stoyanov (Bulgaria) triumphed over CM Achyuth Aravindhan (Netherlands ) on Board 9.

On Board 10, the Spanish duel between GM Marc Narciso Dublan and GM Josep Manuel Lopez Martinez ended in a draw, keeping both players at 4 points.

Among Indian players, WIM Tejaswini G drew against FM Nikolozi Shamatava. She is now on 3 points and has gained nearly 60 rating points so far.

Rank after Round 6

Rk.	SNo		Name	sex	FED	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	TB4	n	w	we	w-we	K	rtg+/-
1	6	GM	Gorshtein, Ido		ISR	2528	Kfar Saba Chess Club	5,5	0	19,5	23	20,50	6	5,5	4,14	1,36	10	13,6
2	7	GM	Sokolovsky, Yahli		ISR	2516	Rishon Letzion	5,5	0	19	21	18,50	6	5,5	4,05	1,45	10	14,5
3	2	GM	Henriquez Villagra, Cristobal		CHI	2594	CHILE	5	0	22,5	25,5	20,50	6	5	4,22	0,78	10	7,8
4	29	FM	Habans Aguerrea, Javier		ESP	2402	Oberena	5	0	21	23	18,00	6	5	3,35	1,65	10	16,5
5	9	GM	Quintiliano, Renato R.		BRA	2507	Escola de Xadrez de Osasco	4,5	0	21,5	24	17,25	6	4,5	3,38	1,12	10	11,2
6	13	GM	Arizmendi Martinez, Julen Luis		ESP	2493	Andreu Paterna	4,5	0	20	23	16,75	6	4,5	4,10	0,40	10	4
7	31	IM	Sanchez, Sebastian Felipe		COL	2376	CE Mollet	4,5	0	19,5	22	16,00	6	4,5	3,17	1,33	10	13,3
8	4	GM	Kraemer, Martin		GER	2576	SC Heimbach Neuwied	4,5	0	19,5	21,5	15,00	6	4,5	4,36	0,14	10	1,4
9	16	GM	Gokerkan, Cem Kaan		TUR	2490	TURKIYE	4,5	0	19	21,5	14,50	6	4,5	4,03	0,47	10	4,7
10	14	GM	Tazbir, Marcin		POL	2493	POLAND	4,5	0	18	20	14,25	6	4,5	4,22	0,28	10	2,8
11	17	IM	Stoyanov, Tsvetan		BUL	2465	BULGARY	4,5	0	17	19,5	13,75	6	4,5	4,43	0,07	10	0,7
12	22	IM	Stribuk, Artiom		FID	2435	FIDE	4,5	0	15,5	17,5	13,00	6	4,5	4,08	0,42	10	4,2

Full List

With only four rounds left, the competition remains fierce, and the fight for the top spot is wide open. The upcoming rounds promise more excitement as the players battle for glory.

Photo Gallery from Round 6 :

Video Gallery:

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