David Llada, official photographer of the VI El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament (Photo by Alina L’Ami in Wijk aan Zee, 2019).
The renowned photojournalist David Llada collaborates with the VI El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament, taking the image of the tournament around the world. The Asturian, round by round, delights us portraying the chess players.
Chess is enjoyed in many ways. Each fan has his own codes: some play in-person tournaments, others prefer online; some accumulate books (even read them, believe me), and many play with friends or follow the newspaper section. The best thing? That all these ways of living the game-science are wonderful and perfectly compatible.
The approach to chess that we propose today, in this chronicle of Round 6 of the VI El Llobregat Open, is through art: the photographic portrait. I throw a simple premise at you: “What is the point of organizing a great event if nobody perceives that it is a great event? In the 21st century, communication is essential in any tournament, and the image that fans and sponsors receive is inevitably key to its success.
For this reason, the VI El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament has made the effort to count on the great world figure of chess photography: David Llada. From Pravia (Asturias) to the last corner of the globe, Llada has worked as a journalist, photographer, author of books, organizer of big competitions and other activities related to chess. His current project is www.chessclub.com
“I like this photo of Antonio Torrecillas, who besides being an excellent chess player was a mathematics teacher. He has strength. He is very involved in his game” (David Llada) 
“I was very excited to take a photo of Roman Shogdziev, who is the youngest international master in history. It’s the kind of photo that, over the years, gains value” (David Llada).
In statements to El Llobregat, Llada explained that he is finalizing his new book of photographs, which will be entitled “The Thinkers. Volume 2”. During the conversation he has shared several anecdotes, including a particularly memorable one, recalling when he organized the World Championship final between Magnus Carlsen and Yan Nepómniashchi, which the former would end up winning. “The morning of the opening press conference I went to Magnus’ room to bring him his accreditation. The tournament was being played at the EXPO, where there were strict security checks: without the code you couldn’t get in. Well, despite the fact that I left the accreditation at his hotel, warning his father… Magnus left for the EXPO without it”.
The result was as surreal as it was comical: all the journalists waiting and Magnus Carlsen held up at the entrance because he was not allowed to enter without accreditation. He arrived an hour late,” recalled Llada. I had to find someone who could get him out of that mess and give him a new card, and it wasn’t easy at all”. 
GM Miguel Illescas, 8 times champion of Spain, has made the traditional ringing of the bell in Round 6 of the VI El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament (PHOTO: David Llada).
As for the traditional bell ringing of the Llobregat Open Chess Tournament, Grandmaster Miguel Illescas celebrated his 60th birthday by doing us the honor of starting the games of Round 6.
In sporting terms, the climbing of the Chinese talent Zhang Di, the only non-titled player among the top 78 of the initial ranking and the victory of the young talent (sponsored by El Llobregat Open Chess) Álex Villa over GM José Manuel López were surprising. The ranking is, before round 7, with 5 players tied at 5 points: IM Deuer, Zhang, GM Bharath, GM Pranesh and GM Raja.
https://s2.chess-results.com/tnr1149162.aspx?lan=2&art=1&rd=6&turdet=YES&flag=30&SNode=S0
In Group B, after Round 5, Santos leads (4.5 points), followed by Ros, Lavyaajyoti, Kaliakhmet and Escoriza, all with 4 points.
https://s2.chess-results.com/tnr1223188.aspx?lan=2&art=1&rd=5&turdet=YES&flag=30&SNode=S0
Mobina Alinasab (PHOTO: David Llada)
For fans of the history of the sport, we will be unveiling in these chronicles the milestones achieved by the Llobregat Open Chess Tournament in the five previous editions:
- Best open held in Spain in the 2022 and 2023 editions, as certified by the Consejo Superior de Deportes and the FEDA (Spanish Chess Federation).
- We had more than one thousand participants; 50% international graduates.
- An average of 45 countries are represented at each edition.
- EL LLOBREGAT played: Gukesh, Narayanan, Abdusattorov, Mateusz Bartel, Erijaisi, Muraliu Karthikeyan, Puranik, Alvar Alonso, Maxime Lagarde, Kulkarni Bhakti, Mobina Alinasab, Rakshitta Ravi, Savitha Shri Baskar, Privanka Nutakki, Jaime Santos, Sara Khadem, Sabrina Vega, Lucas Van Foreest, Francisco Vallejo, Yangyi Yu, Ivan Cheparinov, Vladimir Fedoseev, Kiriil Alekseenko, Jaime Santos, Ponomariov, Amin Tabatabaei, Matthias Bluebaum, Vahap Sanal, Antoaneta Stefanova, Hans Niemann, Alain Pichot, Fernando Peralta… and so on up to more than a hundred grandmasters.
- In 2024, female participation was 17% (FIDE average is 11%; Spanish 6%; Catalan 7%).
We would like to thank our sponsors: El Llobregat (magazine), Ajuntament de Sant Boi, Generalitat de Catalunya, Aigües de Barcelona and Diputació de Barcelona, without whose invaluable help an event of this magnitude would not be possible.
You can follow the games (from 4 p.m. onwards) daily on the web:https://www.elllobregat.com
