Andorra Chess – Course conclusion: From School Desks to Open Boards
As the chess season wound to a close, Andorra’s calendar didn’t slow...it surged! From mountain blitzes to cross-border clashes, pioneering school leagues to festive finales, the final two months of the season brought energy, surprises, and a glimpse of a fast-growing local scene punching above its weight.
Before diving into how it all played out, a quick promo:
On Monday, June 30th at 21:00 CET, we’ll be hosting a Chess.com Arena Tournament open to everyone interested in Andorran chess. The top three players will win Diamond memberships, adding an extra incentive to participate and showcase your skills. To take part, join our Chess.com club and note that registration opens exactly one hour before the tournament begins, make sure to sign up in time!
Table of Contents
1. Engolasters: A Blitz with Pyrenean Flair
2. British School Strikes Gold in School League Debut
3. Alp Awakens: A Mountain Tournament Finds Its Voice
4. Lycée Leads the Way in a Record-Breaking School Championship
5. Massana Magic: A Full House for the 18th School Championship
6. Crossing into Catalonia: GEVA-CEA Shines at Bagà
7. Santa Coloma de Queralt: A Catalan Classic with Andorran Grit
8. Freestyle and Farewell: Xixerella Hosts the Season Finale
9. Fasten your belts! All Eyes on the Andorra Open!
1. Engolasters: A Blitz with Pyrenean Flair
May opened with a flourish high in the Andorran mountains, hosting once again the traditional Sant Miquel d'Engolasters Blitz; an unassuming tournament with a habit of delivering drama. Inside the clubhouse of GEVA, the country’s oldest chess club, 27 players squared off over seven fast-paced rounds (3+2 blitz), with local pride and bragging rights on the line. The final standings turned on a last-round showdown: FM Serni Ribera edged out in victory, while his closest rivals (Marc González and this blogger) split the point, missing the chance to catch him. Ribera's 6.5/7 was enough to claim the top spot, while González (6) and your favourite blogger (5.5) completed the podium.
The event wasn’t just a test of speed; it was a reminder of how tightly contested Andorra’s local scene can be. As always, the closing ceremony brought a touch of local color, with traditional representatives (Escaldes-Engordany’s Pubillatge) handing out the prizes. Backed by the ever-supportive Unió Pro Turisme, this highland blitz offered a fitting, festive send-off to the spring calendar.
2. British School Strikes Gold in School League Debut
While club chess slowed for spring, Andorra’s school halls were quietly brewing a competitive storm. From February to May, the country hosted its first-ever Secondary and Baccalaureate Chess League; a pioneering effort launched by the Escola Andorrana de Segona Ensenyança d’Andorra, which partnered with the national federation to turn classrooms into battlegrounds. The format was simple but effective: teams of four students from the same school, rotating players across four blitz matchdays (5+2 time control), with flexibility and inclusion baked in. The response exceeded expectations: 14 teams from five schools took part, spanning the Andorrana system, Maria Moliner, and the British School of Andorra.
And it was the British School who stole the show. With a powerhouse lineup led by youth champion Yaniv Toker, they steamrolled the competition to finish with a commanding 48 points, winning every match, often by a clean 4–0 sweep. Hosts Santa Coloma A claimed second place with 39 points, while Batxillerat B rounded out the podium on 35½. The league was flawlessly run by a trio of FIDE arbiters and marked a milestone for school chess in the Principality. With eyes already on 2025–26, there’s hope this fresh initiative will grow into a fixture of the academic calendar, and perhaps one day, involve every school in the country.
3. Alp Awakens: A Mountain Tournament Finds Its Voice
Further down the Cerdanya valley, just across the border from Andorra, the quiet town of Alp stirred with chess energy on May 10th. What began as a casual Tuesday night gathering among friends had blossomed into the inaugural Alp Rapid Tournament—organized with the support of Club d’Escacs Berguedà and a growing local community hungry for more than friendly skittles. Despite being a first edition, the event drew 56 players and ran over seven rounds of rapid-fire 10-minute games. Andorra was well represented, with three players crossing the border to take part in the celebration.
While the final standings crowned England’s Rufus Duff as champion on 6.5 points, Andorra’s blogger (hey, it's me again!) and David Sinfreu made their mark, finishing third and fourth respectively with 5.5 points apiece—Sinfreu also claiming a rating prize. Denis Furman, after a perfect 4/4 start, battled top-board pressure in the second half to finish seventh with 5 points. A missed eighth-round cut due to scheduling constraints left a few dream matchups unrealized, but the verdict was clear: Alp’s first foray onto the Catalan chess map was a success, and if momentum holds, this won’t be the last we hear from the Tuesday night crew.
4. Lycée Leads the Way in a Record-Breaking School Championship
Just one week after the secondary league came to a close, Andorra’s academic chess calendar delivered another milestone with the fourth edition of the Campionat Interescolar de Secundària, hosted on May 15th by the Escola Andorrana de Santa Coloma. What began years ago as a local school initiative has now grown into a nationwide festival of youth chess, this year featuring a record 123 participants from 12 schools, stretching beyond Andorra’s borders to include teams from La Seu d’Urgell and Lleida. A new structure welcomed Baccalaureate players into the mix and expanded the prize categories, signaling the event’s evolution into a true scholastic showcase.
The format was fast and unforgiving: nine rounds of 3+2 blitz under the watchful eyes of both FIDE and national arbiters. Yet everything ran smoothly, aided by real-time pairing updates and digital tracking through Chess-Results. On the board, one player towered above the rest: Andria Ercoli of Lycée Comte de Foix stormed through the field with a perfect 9/9, leaving no doubt about the day’s individual champion. Behind him, a fierce battle for the podium saw British School’s Idan Toker edge out Jan Guzmán of Janer on tiebreaks. In the team standings, it was Lycée again who triumphed, beating the hosts by just half a point to claim school honors. With spirit, scale, and sportsmanship all on display, this year’s edition proved that chess is thriving across Andorra’s classrooms—and there's still plenty of room to grow.
5. Massana Magic: A Full House for the 18th School Championship
The May chess rush continued in La Massana, where the 18th edition of the town’s beloved school championship brought the Closeta venue to bursting point. Scheduled for 100 players across the sub8, sub10, and sub12 categories, the event filled up days in advance—and still, a few hopefuls from the waitlist managed to join on the day, pushing participation to a record-breaking 104. In a country of just 80,000, it was a moment worth noting: a full room, the echo of ticking clocks, and 104 young minds plotting checkmates at speed.
Beyond the results, the event carried the hallmark warmth of Andorra’s grassroots chess scene. The presence of local officials and federation leaders at the prizegiving lent a celebratory air, and every participant left with a gift, a smile, and a memory. La Massana once again proved that you don’t need a grandmaster title to feel the magic of tournament day—just a board, a clock, and a room full of eager kids.
6. Crossing into Catalonia: Andorra Shines at Bagà
A strong Andorran contingent headed south to the picturesque town of Bagà for the 4th edition of the “Cal Batista” International. Held on May 18th and organized by Club d’Escacs Pobla de Lillet, the event featured 42 players battling through nine rounds of 15+5 rapid chess, including three grandmasters at the top, with Catalonia’s GM Marc Narciso taking clear first on 7 points. It wasn’t just about top boards, though—Andorra’s GEVA-CEA club brought eight players and plenty of punch to the Catalan foothills.
Leading the charge was veteran FM Raúl Garcia, whose 5.5 points earned him both the top senior prize and a win in his rating group. Right behind him, FM Serni Ribera rebounded from a slow start to match the score and claim his rating prize. As for me? I chipped with 4.5 points; not quite MVP material, but hey, someone's got to hold the middle ground while the big guns clean up. There were more bright spots: Andria Ercoli, fresh off his school championship victory, took the best U16 prize and added over 60 FIDE points to his name. With every board fought and every category touched, the Andorran presence in Bagà left a mark—and with summer festivals just around the corner, the momentum rolls on.
7. Santa Coloma de Queralt: A Catalan Classic with Andorran Grit
June opened with a festival of active chess in Santa Coloma de Queralt, where the 21st edition of the town’s rapid open drew a massive 168 players, well beyond the initial cap of 150. Organized by the local chess association, the nine-round 15+5 event crowned GM Xavier Vila as champion on 8/9, joined at the top by FM Abel Lázaro (also 8), with Catalan chess stalwart GM Josep Oms completing the podium. Andorra, as ever, made its presence felt: 11 players from GEVA-CEA crossed into Catalonia, blending youth, experience, and the kind of fighting spirit that’s defined the season.
CM Cristofer Luke led the Andorran pack with a brilliant afternoon comeback—4 wins in 4 games—to finish on 6.5 points and 19th place overall, claiming a rating prize along the way. Pepe Ribera followed with a similar resurgence to end on 6 points, and I? Well, I had my moment in the sun: held GM Orelvis Pérez to draw (yep, still riding that high) and then... kind of fell apart. Young Andria Ercoli notched a highlight win over IM Lluís Maria Perpinyà but couldn’t sustain his early momentum. With solid performances from David Sinfreu, the Muratet siblings, and several others, the GEVA-CEA delegation may not have struck lottery luck in the post-tournament raffle, but they once again left their mark at one of Catalonia’s favorite rapid battlegrounds.
8. Freestyle and Farewell: Xixerella Hosts the Season Finale
Andorra’s season came to a close not with a final handshake, but with laughter, tribute, and a touch of chaos at the traditional "Season Finale". Held this year on June 15th at La Torrada in Xixerella, the event gathered players, families, and federation officials in one of the calendar’s most anticipated social fixtures. With breakfast, tournament, and lunch all hosted under the same roof, the day unfolded in the spirit of camaraderie—and chess, of course, took center stage. As tradition dictates, the format was Fischer Random (or Chess960), a variant where piece positions are shuffled each round, leaving theory behind and rewarding creativity, intuition, and nerves.
Twenty players took up the challenge across seven 5+3 rounds, and while surprises abounded—as they tend to in this anything-goes format—GM Lance Henderson ultimately claimed the title with 6.5 points. CM Cristofer Luke and FM Serni Ribera followed close behind on 5.5, rounding out a dynamic podium. Afterward, a lively communal lunch brought together over thirty guests, celebrating both the season and Serni Ribera’s coming of age. The final act was the awards ceremony, led by the presidents of GEVA, CEA, and the federation, marking a year of shared effort and individual excellence. A fitting close to a season full of stories. The day was tinged with sadness, too, in memory of Joan Real Pons, whose legacy echoes quietly across the Andorran chessboard.
9. Fasten your belts! All Eyes on the Andorra Open!
With the last clocks stopped and the final awards handed out, Andorra’s chess season has officially come to a close. From emerging juniors to veteran regulars, the level of play and participation has reached new highs. And yet, the season isn’t quite over...
All eyes now turn to the 41st Open Internacional d’Escacs d’Andorra, returning this July—a beloved staple of the European summer circuit and one of the country’s most prestigious sporting events. With titled players from across the continent already registered, and Andorran players eager to test themselves against elite opposition, the Open promises to deliver nine thrilling rounds of classical chess against a breathtaking Pyrenean backdrop. For many, it’s not just a tournament—it’s the heartbeat of the chess year.
