The chess of maximum competition heats up engines in Baix Llobregat!
Blitz tournaments (fast-paced), prior to the first round of an international open, are a coin toss, both organizationally and in sporting terms. For the organizers, because it is a way of adding “conditions” (i.e. a payment for the chess player’s participation in the main event) and, for the players, because it depends a lot on their particular tastes and self-imposed tournament routine. There are chess players for whom it is useful to reach the first round of the classical tournament at its peak of strength, with the opening variations they have prepared fresh and the brain predisposed to extreme calculation; others, however, would be worn out, both physically and emotionally, and prefer to focus only on the big tournament, so they avoid overexertion even though the economic remuneration is interesting. Thus, although this year we have had a lower participation than in previous seasons (14 participating masters), many are compensated for the week and a half of competition. In this sense, it is pertinent to take into account that the last classified of the blitz has pocketed 300 euros.
In addition, the attraction of seeing the stars of the tournament competing at a fast pace the afternoon before the big event is unquestionable, as it allows us to assess the tone of preparation in which they go to the event in Sant Boi. As an extra, the blitz day has a playful tone that helps them to free themselves from a certain pre-tournament tension, a circumstance not minor when working under pressure. Would it be a useful idea for other highly demanding tasks? I am thinking, if you will allow me to digress, of surgical professionals, for example. Among those present, we were able to exchange a few words with the representative of the Indian media Chessbase Niklesh Jain, who confirmed his stay throughout the tournament and the importance of this event in his country. We also had the opportunity to talk to Chan Kim Yew, who besides being a strong player and participant in the Llobregat Open Chess Tournament, took pictures of the blitz for his channel Malaysian Chess. In sporting terms, the winner was the Iranian Madhi Gholami Orimi (6 p.), followed by the Hungarian Adam Kozak (5.5) and the Spaniard Julen Arizmendi (4.5). It should be noted that for the Iranian chess player this tournament was his debut as a grandmaster, as he obtained the qualification in October.
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