In the center of the photo, Roman Shogdziev, the Russian boy who at the age of ten has already achieved the title of international master; the most precocious in history, surpassing by weeks the Argentine Faustino Oro. Behind him, on the left Jordi Alsina, Natalia Ortega (councilwoman spokesperson of the Popular Party in Sant Boi) and the mayor of Castelldefels, Manu Reyes (PHOTO: David Llada).
The third round of the tournament leaves as provisional leader the strong player of Ateneu Colon, who has won with the white pieces against the international master Tan Jun Ying.
The great master Savielly Tartakower said: “Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do”. In this sense, we are going to introduce you in this chronicle to the Catalan master Roberto Villa, assistant to the organizer of the Llobregat Open Chess Tournament and responsible for the school tournament, which has been held for four editions.
MC Roberto Villa, collaborator of the Llobregat Open Chess Tournament and responsible for the school tournament (PHOTO: David Llada).
Villa fulfills various roles, both in logistical and organizational tasks, as well as advising. The relationship with the Llobregat Open Chess Tournament began when, in the second edition, he contacted Xavier Pérez Llorca so that his son, Álex Villa, could participate in a simultaneous with Anatoli Kárpov in Barcelona. It was reminiscent of when he himself was selected some time ago, as a promising young chess player, to play with Garri Kasparov.
The seasons have been going on and, since the third edition, the Llobregat Open Chess Tournament is helping the young talent in his chess training. Álex Villa, on December 1st, is number 1 in the Spanish ranking of his age (U16).
The mayor of Castelldefels, Manu Reyes, has honored with his visit to the VI El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament (PHOTO: David Llada).
As every round of play, tradition dictates that a guest personality ring the bell to start the games of the Llobregat Open Chess Tournament. This time the bell was rung by Manu Reyes, mayor of Castelldefels. The gesture is very significant: it is of capital importance that the world of politics sees the social utility of chess, in the high competition and in the basic training. Some of its characteristics are the rational decision making, the healthy exchange of ideas, the promotion of creativity, the reinforcement of memory, the management of victory and the acceptance of defeat, among others.
Grandmaster José Manuel López Martínez `Superlópez’, provisional leader of the VI El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament (PHOTOGRAPH: David Llada)
In sports, the leadership of grandmaster José Manuel López Martínez, known as ‘Superlópez’, who has 3 points, as well as Bharath Subramaniyam, Cristóbal Henriquez Villagra and Arad Nazari (you can see the pairings and provisional standings at https://s2.chess-results.com/tnr1149162.aspx?lan=2). As for Group B, the leaders, all with 2 points, are Lavyaajyoti Routray, Piotr Dukaczewski, Elsultan Kaliakhmet, Joana Ros Alonso and Joan Ramon Menac Comas (pairings and provisional standings at https://s2.chess-results.com/tnr1223188.aspx?lan=2).
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.
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
