The city of Chihuahua, the capital of the northwestern state bearing the same name, hosted one of the largest chess forums in Mexico, the LXVII National Open Championship, from April 12-17, 2022. The festival, with a total prize fund of $80,000, brought together about 900 participants and consisted of several Swiss tournaments in various rating and age categories. The main (Open) event attracted twelve grandmasters from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Cuba, the United States and Mexico, while the women’s tournament was only for local female players. The winners of this event in all categories claimed the titles of national champions.
Chihuahua had some sort of a “chess fever” during the LXVII Mexico National Open Championship – according to the president of the Mexican Association of Hotels and Motels, hotel occupancy during the event reached 2,000 room nights (for five nights).
GM Sandro Mareco of Argentina (pictured below) came as the winner of the open event, a nine-round Swiss tournament with classical time control. One of the two rating favourites scored 7½/9, conceding just three draws. Three players, GMs Pablo Salinas (Chile), Kevin Cory (Peru), and Luis Ibarra Chami (Mexico), finished just a half-point behind and tied for the second place, with the Chilean and Peruvian claiming second and third positions in the final standings respectively in accordance with Buchholz (the first tiebreak criteria).
The two best-performing Mexican players, GMs Luis Ibarra Chami and Gilberto Hernández Guerrero, booked the slots in the national team that will represent the country at the Chess Olympiad 2022.
Final standings Open:
1 | GM | Mareco, Sandro | ARG | 2652 | 7½ |
2 | GM | Salinas Herrera, Pablo | CHI | 2521 | 7 |
3 | GM | Cori Quispe Kevin | PER | 2492 | 7 |
4 | GM | Ibarra Chami, Luis | MEX | 2441 | 7 |
5 | GM | Cordova, Emilio | PER | 2544 | 6½ |
6 | GM | Cori, Jorge | PER | 2652 | 6½ |
7 | GM | Hernandez Guerrero, Gilberto | MEX | 2564 | 6½ |
8 | GM | Quesada Perez, Luis | CUB | 2519 | 6½ |
9 | GM | Gonzalez Zamora, Juan | MEX | 2532 | 6 |
10 | FM | Galaviz Medina, Sion | MEX | 2362 | 6 |
In the women’s event, an eight-round Swiss tournament with only local players participating, two places in the women’s Olympic team were also at stake. These two spots went to Sandra Guillen from Veracruz (pictured below), who won the event with an excellent score of 7/8 and Ameyalli Ávila Fraire (5½/8) from Durango, who ended up in a large group of players tied for third place.
Final standings Women:
1 | WNM | Guillen Cristobal, Sandra | 1947 | 7 |
2 | WIM | Guerrero Rodriguez, Alejandra | 2023 | 6 |
3 | WCM | Avila Fraire, Ameyalli | 1963 | 5½ |
4 | Ortega Beltran, Ximena | 1759 | 5½ | |
5 | Ramirez Toledo, Ayleen | 1932 | 5½ | |
6 | WCM | Santiago Gonzalez, Frida | 1830 | 5½ |
7 | WIM | Ancheyta Tejas, Claudinelly | 2061 | 5½ |
8 | WIM | Corrales Jimenez, Zenia | 2195 | 5 |
9 | Montano Vicente, Guadalupe | 1698 | 5 | |
10 | Ruiz Villalba, Andrea | 1831 | 5 |
The program of the LXVII National Open Chamionship included several night Blitz tournaments held in different venues of the hotels in the city of Chihuahua, simultaneous exhibitions and various cultural activities. The games of open and women’s sections were broadcast on Chess 24.
It would have been impossible to stage an event of such magnitude without the support and sponsorship of different governmental and private entities, such as the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport, the Mexican Olympic Committee, the State and the municipality of Chihuahua, the State Convention Bureau, the Municipal Economic Support and Development Directorate, the pharmaceutical company Terra Farma, the FENAMAC Chess Development Center in Mexico City, and the Mexican Association of Hoteliers in Chihuahua.
Official website: nacionalabierto.fenamacajedrez.com/
Photo credit: the official website and Facebook page
