Maia Chess Festival: The Streamers' Impact
2025 was an incredible year for the Maia Chess Festival, held in Maia from August 21 to 30, with an ever-growing presence of streamers.
Although the main event took place in Maia, the festival traditionally kicks off in Portugal’s second-largest city, Porto. In the picturesque Ribeira district, overlooking the Douro River, colorful balconies, laundry hanging out to dry, bustling cafés, restaurants, and artisan shops create a truly unique urban landscape.
The festival officially begins along the Douro River, where two boats carried 80 players down one of Portugal’s most famous rivers to the Atlantic Ocean. Here, the first tournament of the festival, the Douro Blitz Cruise, took place. This 5-round, 3'+2" blitz event combined chess, a glass of Port wine, and socializing, giving participants a chance to get to know each other before the main competition.
The Main Event
The following day, August 22, kicked off the main event with an exciting opening ceremony for the Maia Master (2000+ ELO) and U2000 (<2000 ELO) tournaments. This year, unlike the previous Open, the tournament was split into two sections and it worked perfectly. 170 players competed in the Maia Master, while 163 battled in the U2000 section.
Streamers Steal the Spotlight
The number of streamers at the festival was incredible. In 2024, the record was 12 simultaneous streamers, but in 2025 there were 18 streamers from 11 countries. Many players were also streamers, and even if they weren’t broadcasting live, it was amazing to connect with them.
Many streamers played in the Maia Master, but most competed in the U2000, where several came very close to the top positions.
In the Maia Master, strong performances all around. Maria Florencia Fernandez scored a performance of 2238, while Anna-Maja Kazarian finished with 2267, defeating the former coach of the Italian women’s national team, IM Fabrizio Bellia.
The tournament was won by GM Evgeny Postny with 7.5/9, ahead of GM Pouya Idani 7/9 and GM Manuel Perez Candelario 7/9.
In the U2000, 4 streamers finished among the top 14: WCM Hannah Sayce 7/9 tied 7th, WCM Katharina Reinecke, Joao Guilherme Matos, and WCM Zuzanna Siekanska 6.5/9, 9th, 13th, and 14th. Young players dominated this section. Yubin Kim 17 won with 7.5/9, ahead of the 10-year-old Hugo Perez Solanas, while home favorite Eduardo Jose Ferreira 17 took third with 7/9.
World-Class Side Events
What sets a top-level chess festival apart are the side events, and Maia delivered. Several free masterclasses were hosted by internationally renowned players: GM Zaur Mammadov, GM Manuel Candelario, and GM Juan Bellon Lopez, Pablo for Italian fans. These sessions gave participants a rare chance to ask questions, hear unique stories, and learn from true chess legends.
Another highlight was the Queens Tournament, reserved for female players, where WIM Javiera Belen Gomez Barrera achieved a perfect 7/7!
On August 27, after the morning round, two additional events took place, the Streamers Blitz and the Rapid Tournament. The Streamers Blitz featured 18 players in 6 rounds 3'+2", with thrilling and high-energy games.
The Rapid Tournament saw 69 participants compete over 7 rounds, with FM Alexander Domene Mulyukov 6/7 taking first place, followed by GM Evgeny Postny 5.5/7 and IM Sion Radamantys Galaviz Medina 5.5/7.
The Streamers Tournament was a lot of fun. We had met during the previous days, but aside from a few casual standard games, there hadn’t been a chance to face each other officially over the board.
Six rounds were enough to “end a few friendships” (just kidding!) and in the end it was IM Konstantin Kavutskiy who came out on top with a perfect 6/6. Second place went to WIM Anna-Maja Kazarian, who finished with 5/6, ahead of Carlos João Fernandes Novais, who claimed third place on a tiebreak over Jai Sandhu.
Here is the full ranking:
| RK | Name | Pts | Rtg | Channel | |
| 1 | IM | Konstantin Kavutskiy | 6 | 2288 | twitch - twitch |
| 2 | WIM | Anna-Maja Kazarian | 5 | 2203 | twitch |
| 3 | Carlos João Fernandes Novais | 4 | 2134 | twitch | |
| 4 | Jai Sandhu | 4 | 1802 | twitch | |
| 5 | Joel Van Der Werf | 3,5 | 2114 | twitch | |
| 6 | WCM | Katharina Reinecke | 3,5 | 1826 | twitch |
| 7 | João Guilherme Oliveira Matos | 3,5 | 1795 | twitch | |
| 8 | WCM | Hannah Sayce | 3 | 1773 | twitch |
| 9 | WCM | Zuzanna Siekanska | 3 | 1895 | twitch |
| 10 | WIM | Maria Florencia Fernandez | 3 | 2109 | twitch |
| 11 | Anushka Narasani | 3 | 0 | twitch | |
| 12 | Alexandra Bob | 3 | 0 | twitch | |
| 13 | Luca Pontiroli | 2,5 | 1670 | twitch | |
| 14 | Matthew Perchard | 2 | 1770 | twitch | |
| 15 | Sam Van Der Hoek | 2 | 1603 | twitch | |
| 16 | Phoebe Witte | 1 | 1636 | twitch | |
| 17 | Rachel Burak | 1 | 1624 | twitch | |
| 18 | Robin L´houmeau | 1 | 0 | twitch |
Fun Beyond the Board
The Maia Chess Festival isn’t just about chess. On the evening of August 27, the traditional festival party allowed players, streamers, and fans to socialize, make new friends, and enjoy the event off the board.
All in all, the Maia Chess Festival 2025 was a unique, emotional, and fun-filled event. One I highly recommend and will definitely attend again next year.
