Challengers – winner takes all
The Challengers tournament can be summed up in three words – winner takes all! Beyond the first-place trophy, participants are primarily motivated by the opportunity to win a spot in the next year’s Masters. In the history of the Prague International Chess Festival, five players have succeeded in this: David Anton Guijarro, Jorden van Foreest, Vincent Keymer, Mateusz Bartel and Ediz Gurel. Who are this year’s favourites?
Today, we are adding to the three previously announced participants the Uzbek GM Nodirbek Yakubboev, who will celebrate his 23rd birthday in just a few days. The three-time national champion won the 2023 Qatar Masters tournament with a score of 7/9, ultimately defeating his compatriot Nodirbek Abdusattorov in a blitz tiebreak. In June 2024, Yakubboev competed in the UzChess Cup Masters, where he claimed first spot, beating Nodirbek Abdusattorov yet again in a tiebreak.
The current #67 player of the world ranking is also the proud owner of probably the most valuable trophy: a gold medal from the Chess Olympiad 2022 in Chennai, where he and his national team shocked the chess world. Another medal – a bronze from last year Chess Olympiad in Budapest – just stresses the remarkable level of Uzbek chess today.
Another strong candidate for the title is Danish #1 Jonas Buhl Bjerre. In 2019, at the FIDE Grand Swiss tournaments, he achieved the final GM norm, becoming the youngest Dane ever to earn this title. He began 2024 as the 8th best junior player in the world and the 2nd best in Europe.
France is also sending out its youngest GM. Marc'Andria Maurizzi achieved the GM title in 2021 at just 14 years old, breaking the 24-year-old record set by Etienne Bacrot. Two years later, he became the junior world champion, and last year he secured second spot in the Challengers tournament of the prestigious Tata Steel Chess in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands.
The final participant in the Challengers tournament is Greek GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis, 2019 champ and currently ranked #13 in Greece. Regular Festival fans will recognize this 27-year-old Greek player, as he triumphed in last year’s Karel Janeček Open Tournament and earned a spot in this year’s Challengers tournament.
There are less than two months left until the 7th year of the festival (February 25 to March 7, 2025). We send a warm invitation to every fan to visit the Don Giovanni Hotel Prague and remind those contemplating participation that the Open and rating tournaments registrations are currently in full swing.