Montenegro Open pushes boundaries

Budva will be the center of Mediterranean and world chess from July 3 to 11. The Montenegrin Chess Federation is organizing a major international open tournament, which will bring together a large number of prominent chess players from the country, the region and the world.

Currently, more than 280 chess players from 37 national federations have confirmed their participation, confirming that Budva will host one of the most important chess events in the region.

The Montenegrin Chess Federation is organizing the tournament in cooperation with, as stated in the press release, proven partners - the Municipality of Budva and the Hotel Group "Budva Riviera", under the auspices of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, and with the strategic support of the World Chess Federation FIDE.

This year's edition is given special significance by the fact that the tournament will also be the Mediterranean Championship for this year.

The tournament will be played according to the Swiss system in nine rounds, and the total prize fund is as much as 42.000 euros. Of that, 19.700 euros are intended for prizes in the A tournament, while the most successful competitors from the member countries of the Mediterranean Chess Association will also compete for a special fund of 12.000 euros.

Prizes for the best representatives of the Mediterranean countries are planned in the amounts of 3.000, 2.000 and 1.000 euros, and are equal in the men's and women's competitions thanks to the support of the FIDE Women's Chess Commission. The Parallel B tournament, intended for players with a rating of up to 2000 points, has a prize fund of 8.000 euros, while the winner will win 1.600 euros.

In addition to the classical chess competition, the program also includes a blitz tournament, as well as the Mediterranean Youth Rapid Chess Championships, which will further enrich the chess summer on the Montenegrin coast.

The list of participants is led by Italian grandmaster Lorenzo Lodici, with a rating of 2.599, while the second seed is currently the best chess player in Latvia, Toms Kantans. Of the Montenegrin chess players, Nikita Petrov is in third place on the starting list, Denis Kadrić in seventh, Luka Drašković in ninth, and Nikola Đukić in thirteenth place.

In the women's chess competition, the tournament will be led by Olga Badelka and Aleksandra Malcevska, while Montenegrin national team members Aleksandra Milović, Aleksandra Žerebcova and Alena Skvorcova will be among the favorites in the fight for the title of Mediterranean champion.

It is also worth noting that 122 participants in this chess spectacle are titled players, including 21 grandmasters.

The tournament will be hosted by the "Danilo Kiš" Secondary Mixed School, which will provide participants with excellent playing conditions.

All of the above heralds a high-quality and eventful chess event, which will position Budva and Montenegro during July as an important gathering place for chess players from the Mediterranean, Europe and the world, it is stated.