The Christmas Chess Circuit makes a stop in Lloret... and with lots of prizes!

During these Christmas holidays, the Christmas Chess Circuit for players up to 14 years old was held in Torroella de Montgrí, Lloret de Mar and Platja d'Aro, respectively.

The first event took place at the Montgrí facilities, with four players from Lloret de Mar participating, all of whom delivered outstanding performances. Bastian Suazo finished third in the under-14 category, Arnau Jiménez took first place in the under-12 category, and Oriol Gómez, a player from Lloret de Mar who plays for the Platja d'Aro club, finished second in the under-8 category. Also noteworthy was the debut of young Gael Puiggalí, who scored two and a half points out of a possible seven in his first tournament, a very respectable result that encourages him to continue progressing in his early days in the world of chess.

The second event of the circuit took place in Lloret de Mar on Sunday, December 28th. Thanks to the collaboration of the Lloret de Mar City Council, the tournament was held in a new venue: the new Economic Development facilities, located in the former police station, where we felt very welcome.

A total of 27 players traveled to Lloret to participate in the tournament, which also featured the club's usual stall where those who wished could purchase chess-related items. The tournament unfolded, as always, in an atmosphere of utmost sportsmanship, with seven rounds played at a time control of 10 minutes plus a 3-second increment per move. This event also saw the debut of two players from Lloret, Gerard Garcia and Max López, both of whom performed very well.

The tournament champion was Pol Faixedas, from Fornells, with 6.5 points out of a possible 7, followed in second place by Gurjot Multani, from CE Olot. The young up-and-coming player from Lloret de Mar, Olga Levina, completed the podium in third place after a very solid tournament. Bastian Suazo finished right behind her in fourth place with the same number of points.

The award for best under-12 went to Arnau Jiménez, who won it for the second time; the best under-10 award went to David Escriu, from Platja d'Aro; and the best under-8 award went to Roman Mateo Risco, from CE Peón Doblado in Cornellà. In addition, all participants received a bag of sweets as a token of appreciation for their efforts.

The Lloret players had less luck at the Platja d'Aro Three Kings Tournament, where Haydn Ozomek made his debut, scoring three points out of a possible seven. Although no Lloret player won a prize in this event, the points earned by Bastian Suazo and Arnau Jiménez were crucial for the final standings of the Christmas Circuit, allowing Bastian to finish third overall and Arnau to be crowned under-12 champion of the circuit.

Congratulations to all the award winners and newcomers, and our thanks, as always, to all the participants for their trust!