Imagine for a moment that the world fades away, that the bustle of the city is transformed into a whisper, perhaps in the distant echo of a canvas in which the colors fade to leave behind the routine of everyday life. Now, if you will allow me the license, enter with me into the playing room of the Llobregat Open Chess Tournament.
You can see that the chess players form the constellation of a starry sky, moving the pieces on the boards in a sort of infinite dance, as if they were gods weaving the threads of life of their small wooden armies. And, in the noble part of the hall, floating in a privileged space, the faces of the seeded players denote concentration, knowing that their prestige is put to the test from the first round of this tournament that begins today. Chess is a mysterious game that hybridizes the playful with the scientific, in which, besides other intangibles, its vocation for interculturality fascinates. In this sense, the speeches of María Valencia, Deputy Mayor for Equality and Cohesive City, and Antònia Barragán, Sports Councilor, both representing the Sant Boi City Council, highlighted the pride of hosting the best tournament at national level. They highlighted in their speeches the importance for Sant Boi to offer the world an event of this magnitude, with representation from more than 40 countries. Then, after a few words from the main arbiter, AI Hernán Siludakis, the traditional ringing of the bell that starts the games in the Llobregat Open Chess Tournament took place. In this first round the honor was given to the brand new U-16 world champion, Javier Habans Aguerrea, who is also one of the participants in the main tournament. In sporting terms, the round gave rise to a great surprise: the Indian Anilkumar Charvi (1916), who among other merits is the best ranked U-11 player in the world, won with the white pieces against FM Valentin Mitev (2274). Provisionally leading the ranking are the Catalan Jose Manuel Lopez (2455), Luis Carlos Torres (2277) and Matias Jaque (2233), all three with one win to their credit. You can follow the games live, starting at 4 p.m., at the following link https://www.elllobregat.com/openchess/es/
