Andorra Chess – Menorca: Competing in the Crown Jewel of Spanish Opens

April might have been a chilled month when it comes to chess activities here in Andorra, but that doesn’t mean our players have been taking a break. The Easter period is packed with international tournaments, and as always, our players were ready to take part in them!

Before jumping into the main highlight—the Andorran expedition to the Open Chess Menorca—let’s first roll out some well-deserved honorable mentions from April:

• Raul Garcia took part in the 54° Abierto Internacional de Mar del Plata.

• Josep Maria Ribera participated in the IX Open Internacional Semana Santa San Vicente del Raspeig Costa Blanca 2025, one of Spain's most prominent open tournaments.

Now, let’s turn our attention to the main topic of this blog: the Open Chess Menorca. In a slightly different approach to tournament coverage, I’ll be sharing some first-hand experience so you can get a feel for what it’s like to play this tournament—and maybe even feel inspired to join in future editions.

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Table of Contents

1. Introducing the Open Chess Menorca

2. The Early Challenges and the Early Wins

3. The 2025 Edition: Bigger and Better

4. What’s It Like to Join the Open Chess Menorca?

5. Tournament Setup & Hotels

6. The calm before the chess-storm

7. First Half: Rounds 1 to 5 - My Rollercoaster Start in Chess Menorca

8. The Night Blitz - Because We’re Just Chess Addicts

9. Second Half: Rounds 6-8 - Between Calas and Clásicos

10. The tournament Conclusion

11. The Afterparty

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1. Introducing the Open Chess Menorca

Let’s start with a bit of background. If Spanish geography isn’t your strong suit, Menorca is one of the four Balearic Islands, nestled in the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the recent tourism boom, the island has managed to preserve its unique charm and cultural authenticity.

The Open Chess Menorca was born in 2022, making it a relatively young event, but from the start, it was a bold and ambitious project. I had the chance to chat with the organizers, who shared that the driving force behind the event was the lack of high-level playing opportunities for local players, especially younger ones. Their solution? Go all-in and organize a top-tier open tournament that would bring strong international competition right to their doorstep.

And when I say all-in, I mean it. Their guiding principle was crystal clear: “Everything revolves around quality.” That included small but significant details, like ensuring that every game is played on a wooden board instead of plastic. In fact, they purchased over 200 wooden boards that are only used once a year, just for this event. I can’t think of a better example to illustrate their commitment to creating the best possible experience for players.

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2. The Early Challenges and the Early Wins

Launching a tournament during the final stages of the COVID pandemic was a massive gamble. The first edition had only 7 rounds, which meant that players couldn’t chase norms, making it harder to attract elite-level participation. And yet, despite the uncertainty, that first edition was a resounding success.

The proof? The tournament’s very first champion was none other than Gukesh D, who, last time I checked, has been playing some rather decent chess at the world level.

Apparently, winning once wasn’t enough for Gukesh—he came back and won the second edition as well, now expanded to a 9-round format. When a future World Champion returns—and wins again—you know you're doing something right.

This second edition also helped to solidify the tournament's perfect placement on the European calendar. It follows right after Easter events like the Open Internacional Semana Santa (Spain) and the Grenke Chess Festival (Germany), and it leads directly into the Formentera Sunway Open, another tournament located in the Balearic Islands. It’s an ideal bridge between major events.

Fast forward to the third edition, which saw Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi take the title. (Were you expecting Gukesh again?) If the list of champions hasn’t already convinced you to sign up for a future edition, here’s another reason: the tournament was selected as the Best Spanish Chess Tournament in 2024! Just for reference, the 2023 winner of that title was El Llobregat, which at one point was considered one of the strongest open tournaments in Europe.

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3. The 2025 Edition: Bigger and Better

The fourth edition of the Open Chess Menorca attracted nearly 500 players, divided into two groups:

• Group A: 330 players

• Group B: 115 players

Out of the 330 players in Group A, there were:

• 45 Grandmasters

• 54 International Masters

• 44 FIDE Masters

That’s an astounding concentration of titled players!

And among them was the Andorran expedition, proudly representing our small but mighty chess community:

• FM Serni Ribera – 125th in Group A initial ranking

• Esteve Mateu (that’s me, your blogger!) – 194th in Group A initial ranking

• CM Josep Maria Ribera – 198th in Group A initial ranking

• WCM Julia Muratet – 7th in Group B initial ranking

• WCM Alexandra Muratet - International Arbiter and Press Oficcer.

Clearly, I missed the day in school when they were handing out chess titles.

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4. What’s It Like to Join the Open Chess Menorca?

So now that we’ve set the context, what’s it actually like to play in this tournament?

Before the first round even begins, there are just two things you need to worry about:

1. Registering and booking accommodation, which is all handled smoothly via email. You can look for your own lodging, but the cost and quality of the official accommodation make it a no-brainer.

2. Reaching Menorca airport the day before the tournament or early on the day of Round 1.

Now, let’s talk about the airport part. I know it sounds odd to highlight airport logistics in a chess blog, but hear me out: the organizers provide transfers from the airport to the playing venues. That’s something I’ve only experienced at official FIDE events (representing Andorra), and never at a regular open.

When I asked the organizers about this, I loved their reasoning. One of them, who also coaches a local youth football team, told me that in every sport, transfers are expected. Why not in chess? This thoughtful touch adds a ton of convenience—it’s nearly an hour from the airport to the hotels.

Plus, it’s a fun way to meet people. On my shuttle, I rode with Pepe Cuenca and Divis, two legends from chess24, who had just flown in from Mexico and were completely wiped.

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5. Tournament Setup & Hotels

The tournament was spread across two hotels:

• MarSenses Paradise Club Hotel, which hosted Group A

• Grupotel Macarella Suites & Spa, which hosted Group B

I stayed at the Macarella, even though I was playing in Group A. No big deal, though, the hotels were just a 5-minute walk apart, and both were top-notch in quality.

The rest of the Andorran crew stayed at MarSenses, which was the only downside. Totally my fault, I never told the organizers we were attending as a group (do not commit the same error as I did!).

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6. The calm before the chess-storm

The morning before Round 1, I took a walk around the area and stumbled upon a quiet little spot called Far d'Artrutx. It struck me as the kind of place where you’d want to sit back with a drink and watch the sunset roll in—peaceful, picturesque, and just the right way to set the tone for the days ahead.

Later, I attended the tournament’s press conference, eager to learn more about the event’s logistics and sustainability. As someone who helps organize the Andorra International Open (quick plug—don’t forget to check out our 2025 edition!), I’m always curious about how others manage their events, especially financially.

The takeaway? Local government support has been key to Menorca’s success. Their goal is to extend tourism activity to a 9-month season, and events like this one help attract visitors during the quieter Easter period. It also makes the tournament more financially viable while keeping accommodation rates reasonable.

After the press conference, I gave Alexandra a hand with her player interviews. She asked top competitors some rapid-fire questions to get to know them better... and let’s just say, the responses did not disappoint. It was a fun experience that gave us plenty to laugh about.

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7. First Half: Rounds 1 to 5 - My Rollercoaster Start in Chess Menorca

Not sure how to make general standings of the tournament appealing enough for the people reading this blog, as there are many articles which will probably explain this better, so here goes my approach: pick 3 players from the top 10 initial ranking (spoiler, top 3 winners are in this list) and root for them while I explain the my experience during the open:

Seed	Player	Federation	Rating
1	Nihal, Sarin	IND	2687
2	Shankland, Sam	USA	2670
3	Murzin, Volodar	FIDE	2658
4	Karthikeyan, Murali	IND	2651
5	Puranik, Abhimanyu	IND	2636
6	Pranav, V	IND	2628
7	Lu, Shanglei	CHN	2618
8	Ivanchuk, Vasyl	UKR	2604
9	Kozak, Adam	HUN	2598
10	Zeng, Chongsheng	CHN	2574

Pick up your 3 Paladins for this blog

My first game at the Open Chess Menorca felt straight out of a movie. Paired against IM Sebastián Iermito, I navigated through a complicated middlegame and found myself in a clearly better position. But time trouble got the best of me, and I ended up offering a draw after misjudging the endgame.

This set up a round 2 pairing against GM Kazybek Nogerbek, who made it clear why he’s rated above 2550. His smooth control and deep understanding of the game were impressive, and I couldn’t keep up. Fortunately, round 3 brought some relief when local player Daniel James Garcia made an early blunder, allowing me to score a quick win.

Day 3 started with high hopes and ended in disappointment. Round 4 saw me face WGM Andreea Navrotescu. I got into a poor position straight out of the opening, and she capitalized on it without hesitation. In round 5, I was paired against Italian player Marco Mina. Although I was the rating favorite and held a slight advantage, he unleashed a dynamic queen sacrifice that completely flipped the game. Hats off to Marco, who went on to have a phenomenal tournament performance.

By the end of Round 5, the tournament had found its front-runner. GM Vasyl Ivanchuk stood alone at the top with a perfect 5 out of 5, asserting his dominance with a masterful win over the highest-rated participant, GM Nihal Sarin. For those rooting for GM Sam Shankland, the day brought some unfortunate news. He suffered an unexpected setback at the hands of IM Oleksii Bilych, a result that left him with just 3 points out of 5 and significantly reduced his chances of fighting for first place.

Other top contenders were also finding the competition tough. GM Murali Karthikeyan and GM V. Pranav both stood at 3.5 points, staying within reach of the leaders but needing a strong second half to mount a serious challenge. GM Adam Kozak and GM Chongsheng Zeng were slightly further behind with 3 points each, still dangerous opponents but now in a group facing increasingly narrow odds of taking the title.

Rank	Seed	Player	Pts.
1	8	Ivanchuk, Vasyl	5
3	7	Lu, Shanglei	4,5
9	1	Nihal, Sarin	4
10	3	Murzin, Volodar	4
18	5	Puranik, Abhimanyu	4
35	6	Pranav, V	3,5
52	4	Karthikeyan, Murali	3,5
84	2	Shankland, Sam	3
90	9	Kozak, Adam	3
104	10	Zeng, Chongsheng	3

How are your Paladins performing?

Meanwhile, one of the most exciting stories of the tournament was unfolding just below the top board. IM Faustino Oro, already hailed as a prodigy, was turning heads with an impressive 4.5 points out of 5. At just ten years old, his performance wasn’t just impressive, it was historic. With his current pace and the level of opposition he was facing, he was positioning himself to potentially secure the youngest GM norm ever recorded, a milestone that would etch his name in the chess world.

Among the other Andorran players, Serni finished the first half of the tournament with 3 out of 5 points—solid wins against lower-rated players, but he struggled to break through against stronger IMs. Josep Maria ended the same stretch with 2.5 points, including a notable draw against FM Zalan Nemeth. Julia, competing in Group B, bounced back after a tough first-round loss and climbed to 3.5 points by mid-tournament.

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8. The Night Blitz - Because We’re Just Chess Addicts

After five classical games squeezed into barely 50 hours, you’d expect players to call it a day, get some rest, maybe even get some fresh air and recharge after days of intense concentration. But no—we’re chess addicts. So what did we do? Sign up for a blitz tournament, of course. Because clearly, the only cure for chess fatigue is more chess.

A total of 159 players (myself proudly included) dove into a 9-round 3+2 blitz night event. It was pure madness—and also pure fun. The kind of tournament where you forget opening prep, flag someone from a completely lost position, and make more blunders in one evening than in the five classical rounds combined.

The winner of this caffeine-fueled chaos was Chinese GM Chongsheng Zeng, who scored a dominant 8/9. His only loss came against the silver medalist, Subramaniyam H. Bharath, who was on fire the whole night. He almost went flawless—almost—until he got upset in round 2 by… an Andorran! Yes, one of ours brought the heat early in the event.

Plot twist: that Andorran wasn’t me. It was CM Josep Maria Ribera, who pulled off a brilliant win and derailed Subramaniyam’s gold medal ambitions. (Meanwhile, I faced Subramaniyam later in the event, and let’s just say he got his Andorran revenge.)

IM Nico Chasin rounded out the podium with a solid 7.5 points.

As for Team Andorra: Serni finished 37th with 5.5 points, I ended up 41st with 5, and Josep Maria, after his round 2 masterpiece, cooled off a bit and placed 76th with 4.5. Still, not bad for a squad that started the night claiming we were "just playing for fun."

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9. Second Half: Rounds 6-8 - Between Calas and Clásicos

After round 5, we finally had a morning without chess. Most players took the opportunity to enjoy the Balearic sun and beaches, which led to tans and sunburns becoming the main protagonists of round 6. I spent the morning exploring some of the most iconic spots in Ciutadella, located on the western side of the island. Special mention goes to their bays—small, cozy places perfect for soaking up the sun and swimming in the sea.

Speaking of Ciutadella, in the 2024 edition of the tournament, four special games from round 7 were played at Ciutadella City Hall as part of an initiative to further promote the event. Unfortunately, this year the organization couldn’t repeat the experience due to ongoing maintenance work at the City Hall.

That afternoon, I played my round 6 match against WFM Jessica Regam. I gained an edge early in the opening and managed to convert it into a victory. I genuinely felt that the morning break helped recharge my energy for the game, so I made the decision to take a bye for round 7 and repeat the same routine.

Note: Players are allowed to take up to two byes before round 7, receiving half a point for each.

With my round 7 bye, I got to enjoy another half-day exploring Menorca. This time, I visited Fornells along with a few more scenic bays.

In the afternoon, I faced another local player, Joan Salord. As I had the higher Elo, I felt obliged to push for a win. I capitalized on a small positional advantage and built up slow, steady pressure until I gained a clearly winning position. Unfortunately, just when it looked like I would secure the victory, a terrible blunder turned the game on its head and the match ended in a draw.

After that game, I had just 12 hours until the final round, which was scheduled for the next morning. Exhausted from the effort and disappointed by the draw, I decided not to play the last round—I simply didn’t feel I’d be at my best.  Of course, my decision might have been influenced by another event happening within the hour: El Clásico! Yes, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid were about to clash in the Copa del Rey final, and it became an unofficial event within the tournament.

Barcelona triumphed 3–2 in extra time, with the match ending at 1:00 a.m. Considering round 9 was set to begin at 9:30 a.m., I had absolutely no regrets about not being paired for it.

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10. The tournament Conclusion

The Group B games were conveniently held at my hotel, giving me the perfect chance to support Julia in her comeback. She wrapped up the tournament with a gritty draw from a rough position, finishing 18th with 6 points out of 9; a fantastic performance given the notoriously tricky field typical of any Group B event.

After catching the Group B games, I headed over to Group A to watch the final round unfold. From an Andorran perspective, the closing round couldn’t have gone better.

The Ribera brothers both finished strong with wins. Serni concluded the event with 5.5 points, placing 64th overall and taking home the Top U2300 prize. A special shout-out to his sixth-round draw against the ninth seed, GM Adam Kozak, a result that really stood out. Josep Maria finished with 4.5 points in 184th place, but more importantly, he notched a solid Elo gain. It’s encouraging to see the gap between his rating and his talent continue to narrow.

While the spotlight naturally shone on the battle for the top positions, a parallel story captivated the hearts of chess fans worldwide, IM Faustino Oro’s pursuit of his first GM norm. After a blistering start, scoring 4.5 out of 5, the young prodigy followed up with two draws and a loss to GM Shanglei Lu. Despite this stumble, the dream was still alive. A win with the white pieces against IM Zhandos Agmanov in the final round would have sealed the deal. Alas, it was not to be. Faustino had to settle for a draw. Though he delivered a superb performance overall, it fell just short of securing the coveted "youngest GM norm" title. Still, his journey was nothing short of inspiring and his future undoubtedly bright.

Now, let’s turn to the final standings and see how your favorite paladins fared after the eighth round and their round 9 matches:

• GM Vassily Ivanchuk (7 points), holding a slim half-point lead, faced a tough pairing with black pieces against GM Pranesh (6.5) in a high-stakes title-deciding clash. 
• GM Sarin Nihal (6.5) vs. GM Murali Karthikeyan (6.5). 
• GM Valentin Dragnev (6.5) vs. GM Shanglei Lu (6.5).
• GM Alisher Suleymenov (6.5) with black against GM Sam Shankland (6).

Astonishingly, none of these four decisive pairings ended in a draw. The Sofia Rule (no draw offers before move 30) no doubt played a key role in driving such a fighting spirit.

GM Sam Shankland, who had a rocky start to the tournament, surged back to life with his fourth straight win. GM Karthikeyan and GM Shanglei Lu both claimed victories with the black pieces, an impressive feat against strong opposition. That left all eyes on the top board, still battling for the crown.

Board 1 delivered a true chess spectacle. GM Ivanchuk, finding himself in a difficult position out of the opening, boldly sacrificed an exchange. The game transitioned into a rook vs. knight endgame, rich in dynamism and counterplay despite material imbalance.

It was chaos in its purest form, both players saw winning chances come and go. But in the end, fortune favored the Ukrainian legend, who emerged victorious to become the 4th Menorca Open Champion!

After all the dust settled, here’s how your paladins performed. Drop your results in the comments!

Rank	Seed	Player	Pts.
1	8	Ivanchuk, Vasyl	8
2	7	Lu, Shanglei	7,5
3	4	Karthikeyan, Murali	7,5
7	2	Shankland, Sam	7
8	1	Nihal, Sarin	6,5
13	3	Murzin, Volodar	6,5
16	6	Pranav, V	6,5
25	5	Puranik, Abhimanyu	6
44	9	Kozak, Adam	6
75	10	Zeng, Chongsheng	5,5

Did you guess top 3?

Special shoutouts to the honorable mentions who outperformed expectations and lit up the board: GM Tomás Sosa, GM Andy Woodward, IM Edgar Mamedov. All three delivered standout performances to finish in the 4th–6th spots. 

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11. The Afterparty

After Round 9 concluded and everyone enjoyed a well-deserved lunch break, the awards ceremony took place. You can watch the full event on the OpenChessMenorca Instagram account. Alexandra also had an interview with the champion, a classic "Ivanchuk being Ivanchuk" moment.

Following the ceremony, players gradually began departing (big shoutout to the organizers for arranging the transfers so smoothly). Since I stayed an extra night, I had the chance to hang out with other players, which turned into a fun afternoon of bullet and blitz games. The most challenged player? IM Faustino Oro. I managed to play two games against him, and even held a draw in one! That alone made the whole tournament experience worth it.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Spanish chess legend GM Miguel Illescas for the first time. He entertained us with some tricky studies and creative, outside-the-box chess puzzles, like this one:

The next day, I set off back to Andorra, which turned into a bit of an odyssey due to a massive power outage that hit much of Spain. Luckily, Menorca remained unaffected (yet another reason to love playing there!). Despite the surrounding chaos, my journey home was surprisingly smooth.

All in all, even if my chess wasn’t at its peak, the Open Chess Menorca stands out as one of the best opens I’ve ever played. If you’ve made it this far in the blog, I highly recommend you consider joining one of their future editions—you definitely won’t regret it.