Alessandro Monaco: This year too the participation in the 5th International Chess Festival “Terre degli Elimi” has been remarkable – a total of 108 players which is a new record for Sicily in the last ten years.
There were 68 players in the Open A, 25 in the Open B and 15 in the Open C – among them 50 foreign players from 15 countries.
Venere Castle (photo courtesy: Juha Ovaskainen)
Torretta Pepoli and the church of San Giovanni (photo credit: Juha Ovaskainen)
Again the wonderful city of Erice hosted our Festival! Erice which is situated in western Sicily (Italy) is only 15 km away from airport “Vincenzo Florio” in Trapani (Ryanair Hub) and is a true and proper tourist pearl of Sicily.
Located about 700 meters above sea level it is overlooking the Mediterranean sea and from almost every corner you can enjoy breathtaking views and even see Mount Etna in the distance.
This year we have organized a minibus service to bring our players from the airport to the hotel in Erice.
In the afternoons we have also organized three tours by bus:
- Erice-Trapani-Erice
- Erice – San Vito lo Capo – Erice
- Erice – Segesta – Scopello – Erice
Our guests have greatly appreciated the excursions in these wonderful places.
San Vito lo Capo beach (Photo by Matthew Peat)
Segesta greek doric temple (photo by Brent Burg)
Scopello: Guidaloca beach (photo by Ihor Lewik)
The list of invited foreign chess masters included the Moldovan GM Viorel Iordachescu trainer of the great Vugar Gashimov who died recently; the Belarusian GM Nikita Maiorov; the Bulgarian GM Vladimir Petkov; the English GM Jonathan Levitt and eight others IM as Twan Burg, Warakomski, Sadzikowski, Sieciechowicz, Claesen, Mantovani, Adrian and Aleksic; seven Fide masters as Larsen, Amato, Fabiano, De Wacther, De Wit, Bezemer and Dijkhuis and a lot of strong foreigners and Italian players as Ferro, Valguarnera, Sardo, Pisacane, Favaloro, Marzaduri.
Worth recording the presence among the women of Russian WGM Maria Manakova, Spanish WIM Amalia Aranaz Murillo, Polish WIM Anna Iwanow and Italian champion WFM Tea Gueci. 23 Fide titled chess players in total.
WGM Maria Manakova (photo by Alberto Gueci)
WIM Amalia Aranaz Murillo (photo by Gianni Gigante)
The festival started at 3pm on July 19, 2014 with a short and dynamic open ceremony that will be held at Gebel Hamed Teather in Erice. The first symbolic move was played by the mayor of Erice Giacomo Tranchida against GM Viorel Iordachescu.
The first move (photo by Gianni Gigante)
The competition start at Palazzo Sales in Erice at 4 pm and consisted of three open tournaments: A for players> 1800; B <1900; C> 1500.
The chief arbiter was Mr. Flavio D’Alessandro assisted by Mr. Giuseppe Cassia
The Playing hall (photo by Gianni Gigante)
At the end of the seven rounds, GM Viorel Iordachescu won undefeated with 8/9.
The GM Viorel Iordachescu is the predictable and highly acclaimed winner! (photo by Gianni Gigante)
GM Nikita Maiorov took the 2nd place with the same score of the winner and finished undefeated.
GM Nikita Maiorov showed his great technical level of play (photo by Gianni Gigante)
Third finished the talented Dutch IM Twan Burg who got his second GM norm. Great joy for Twan, his father Henk and all of us!
Twan with his well-deserved GM norm! (photo by Gianni Gigante)
The International chess master Marcin Sieciechowicz finished fourth and WGM Maria Manakova, after a great tournament, finished fifth and got her second IM norm! Wonderful Maria!
Maria received her IM norm by Mr. D’Alessandro! (photo by Gianni Gigante)
The Dutch chess player Martijn Van Der Eijk has played a great tournament finishing sixth overall with a performance of 2406.
The Italian Champion WFM Tea Gueci has played very well, resisting for a long time even against GM Iordachescu in the first round. Tea in Erice won her first WIM norm! congratulations to the whole Gueci family!
WFM Tea Gueci received her first WIM norm by Mr. D’Alessandro (photo by Gianni Gigante)
English GM Jonathan Levitt won special prize “Enza e Nino” in memory of CM Giacomo Bertino parents reserved to the best chess combination. Jon came back to play chess in our tournament after seven years! He showed a great tactical ability and we hope that he will soon play in other tournaments.
English GM Jonathan Levitt vs FM Andrea Amato (photo by Gianni Gigante)
The participation of the young Dutch players was very good: Mischa Senders finished ninth and first among under 20 and got the special prize “Targa Monaco” in memory of my father Francesco; FM Tycho Dijkhuis got the prize for the best under 16.
Young Dutch player Micha Senders got “Targa Monaco” special prize as best under 20 (photo by Gianni Gigante)
Sicilian Chess master Mario Ferro was the best among the Italians and played a great tournament finishing in eighth place overall; tenth the FM Andrea Amato, winner of the last edition.
Mario Ferro first among the Italians players (photo by Gianni Gigante)
Very good performance of young Sicilians players: Alessandro Santagati (2337), Pietro Pisacane (2238), Andrea Favaloro (2135), Michel Bifulco (2175), Riccardo Marzaduri (2114), Salvatore Di Misa (2088), Laura Gueci (2043) e Cristoforo Guccione (1998) got good performances. Marzaduri and L. Gueci got CM title.
The B Open was won by the Slovenian Matic Dolinar with 6.5/9, the second was the Italian Adriano Todaro and third the Dutch Henk Burg.
Matic Dolinar winner of Open B (photo by Gianni Gigante)
The C Open was won by the 7 years old Kazakh child Batyrkhan Muratov with 5.5/7, the second was our talented pupil Matteo Auci and third Fabrizio Nicolosi from Catania.
The seven years old Kazakh child Batyrkhan Muratov winner of Open C (photo by Gianni Gigante)
The prizes in books (more than 400 €) were offered by Yuri Garrett of “Caissa Italia”.
Many thanks to the Municipality of Erice, “Caissa Italia”, “Lilybetana Scacchi”, “Scacco Mazara” and “Chess Bazaar”.
A special thanks to Mrs. Gabriella Morvay and Mrs. Pinola Savalli by Hotel Villa San Giovanni of Erice for their professionalism and kindness.
See you next summer!
Report By Alessandro Monaco
webmaster@ericescacchi.it, mobile phone +393343114606
Official website www.ericescacchi.it
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Terre.Elimi
Open A top standings after 9 rounds:
1 8 GM Iordachescu Viorel 2593 2732 MDA
2 8 GM Maiorov Nikita 2531 2686 BLR
3 7 IM Burg Twan 2508 2597 NED
4 6.5 IM Sieciechowicz Marcin 2438 2446 POL
5 6 WGM Manakova Maria 2273 2465 SRB
6 6 Van Der Eijk Martijn 2198 2406 NED
7 6 IM Warakomski Tomasz 2501 2399 POL
8 6 Ferro Mario 2242 2329 ITA
9 6 Senders Mischa 2183 2373 NED
10 6 FM AMATO Andrea 2350 2294 PA
11 5.5 IM Sadzikowski Daniel 2481 2349 POL
12 5.5 GM Petkov Vladimir 2538 2393 BUL
13 5.5 GM Levitt Jonathan P 2420 2361 ENG
14 5.5 WIM Aranaz Murillo Amalia 2298 2338 ESP
15 5.5 FM Dijkhuis Tycho 2321 2299 NED
16 5.5 M SANTAGATI Alessandro 2216 2337 CT
17 5.5 FM Larsen Karsten 2265 2274 DEN
18 5.5 Bijlsma Nick 2210 2262 NED
19 5 FM Bezemer Arno 2287 2305 NED
20 5 IM Claesen Pieter 2340 2220 BEL
21 5 WFM GUECI Tea 2089 2310 PA
22 5 WIM Iwanow Anna 2210 2263 POL
23 5 IM Aleksic Nenad 2348 2262 SRB
24 5 CM PISACANE Pietro 2058 2238 CT
25 5 Smith Thijmen 2225 2190 NED
26 5 IM Mantovani Renzo 2349 2172 ITA
27 5 Mollema Thomas 2076 2179 NED
28 5 Favaloro Andrea 2008 2135 ITA
29 5 Friesen Boris 2076 2132 NED
