Andorra Open - Round 2: GM Arjun Kalyan (IND) Wins the 2025 Andorra Gran Prix
This Sunday, July 20 at 10:00 a.m., a new edition of the Rapid Chess "Gran Prix" was held at the Andorra la Vella Congress Centre, organized by the Centre d’Escacs d’Andorra la Vella, sponsored by the Andorra la Vella City Council, and supported by the Valls d’Andorra Chess Federation.
The blitz tournament, played at a time control of 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment per move over 9 rounds using the Swiss system, awarded a total of €1,050 in prizes.
This edition attracted 80 participants from about 15 countries. While Andorra and Spain had the largest contingents, the wide variety of nationalities added significant international flavor to the event.
The competition featured a high level of play, with 3 Grandmasters, 6 International Masters, 10 FIDE Masters, 2 Women FIDE Masters, and 4 Candidate Masters. The top seed, and favorite to repeat his 2024 victory, was GM Aleksandr Shimanov, boasting a 2599 blitz rating.
As in 2024, the tournament was decided in the final round. After round eight, four players were tied at the top with 6.5 points, followed closely by four others with 6 points.
Ultimately, it was Indian Grandmaster Arjun Kalyan who clinched the title with 7.5 out of 9, thanks to a last-round victory over IM Daniel Garcia (ESP). With the game on board two ending in a draw, Kalyan secured the win outright and took home the €250 first prize without needing tiebreaks.
Four players tied for second with 7 points. Shimanov, favored by tiebreaks, claimed second place. Argentine brothers Francisco Fiorito (U16) and Joaquin Fiorito (U18), both International Masters, finished third and fourth respectively.
Fifth place also went to a player with 7 points: Catalan FIDE Master Àlex Villa (U16), who played an impressive tournament and is showing strong potential in faster time formats.
The top local player was Grandmaster Lance Henderson, finishing 8th overall with 6.5 points. He was followed by CM Josep Mª Ribera (12th with 6 points) and Cristofer Luke (5 points).
Rating group prizes were awarded to: Àlex Alcón Llosada (AND, Group D), Eithan Ruiz Bolaños (MEX, Group C), Gaurang Bagwe (IND, Group B), and Konstantinos Michaelides (CYP, Group A).
Additional prizes went to FM Raül Garcia (AND) as best veteran and WFM Rebeca Jiménez (ESP) as best female player.
The awards ceremony featured the Hon. Mr. Sergi González, Mayor of Andorra la Vella; Ms. Eva Tadeo, Councillor for Talent and Human Resources; Mr. Francesc Rechi, president of the FEVA; and Mr. Joan Moscoso, president of the CEA.
The second round of the Andorra Open began this afternoon at 16:00 with a festive touch: a ChessDrop-branded T-shirt was presented to Laura Viñolas to celebrate her birthday.
Taking advantage of the moment, tournament organizers reminded all players that this year’s event includes a Best Game competition sponsored by ChessDrop, offering a total of €1,000 in prizes. Although some technical difficulties were reported last night when uploading games, organizers confirmed that the issues have now been resolved. Players are encouraged to read the contest rules, submit their best games, and try their luck!
From a competitive standpoint, today’s round proved more challenging than the first. The Elo differences between opponents were smaller, leading to tighter matches and unexpected results at several boards.
Many top seeds had to work hard for their points. Some games lasted over four hours and required precision and stamina to secure a win. Others ended in draws—not for lack of ambition, but due to the solid play of lower-rated opponents who made it difficult to break through.
This was the case for Grandmasters Arthur Kogan and Jaime Cuartas, as well as for International Masters Gerard Ayats, Georgios Gkoumas, Maciej Czopor, and Cristian A. Hernández, who were all held to draws. Numerous FIDE Masters also encountered stiff resistance.
One young player who continues to make waves is U10 talent Muthukumar Krithik. With a modest 1900 Elo, he drew yesterday against FM Andreas Garberg Tryggestad (2332, NOR) and repeated the feat today against FM Konstantinos Michaelides (2286, CYP). In fact, with a material advantage in today’s game, he even had serious chances to win. Krithik is quickly proving himself a difficult opponent, regardless of his rating.
He’s not alone. Several young players are clearly playing above their official ratings, suggesting we’ll see more surprises as the tournament progresses. Their games are definitely worth watching in the coming rounds.
From the Andorran contingent, six players currently have 1 point. Daniel Gómez, Josep Mª Ribera, Cristofer Luke, and Alfred Alcón, who won their first-round games, were unable to add to their score today. Meanwhile, Andria Ercoli, Manel Cabarcos, and Àlex Alcón picked up their first wins of the tournament this afternoon.
Looking ahead, tomorrow’s round will be a key moment in shaping the leaderboard. We'll soon see which players can keep their perfect score and begin to separate themselves from the pack.
As always, round three kicks off at 16:00, and fans can follow the live broadcast through all available streaming platforms.
