Lloret de Mar Becomes the Epicenter of Youth Chess with the Catalan Age-Group Championship

Lloret de Mar hosted a new edition of the Catalan Individual Age Group Championship during Easter Week, one of the most prominent events on the Catalan chess calendar for youth categories. The tournament, organized by the Catalan Chess Federation with the collaboration of the Lloret Chess Club, took place from March 28 to April 2, 2026, at the Hotel Guitart Central Park facilities, gathering more than 500 participants across different categories.

The championship was played using a 9-round Swiss system, with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move, and featured representatives from clubs throughout Catalonia. The categories included from under-8 to under-20, with a particularly high participation in the under-12 and under-14 categories, with 130 and 102 players respectively.

Regarding the sporting results, the new Catalan champions were Pau Vizcaya (under-8), Marc Barceló (under-10), Leo Badia (under-12), Gonzalo Hijarrubia (under-14), Alex Villa (under-16), Alexander Domene (under-18), and Aitor Funes (under-20), after an intense week of competition in which several classifications were decided in the final rounds.

The Lloret Chess Club was represented in three categories, with a total of five players:

• In the under-12 category, Olga Levina scored 5.5 points, while Arnau Jiménez achieved 4.5 points. Both improved on their previous year's results and delivered a commendable performance in a particularly large group.

• In the under-14 category, Bastian Suazo finished the tournament with 4 points, also delivering several outstanding performances against rivals with significantly higher Elo ratings.

• In the under-16 category, Sara Planas finished with 3 points, while Lev Shustov closed the championship with 4.5 points, competing competently against some of the best players of his age group in Catalonia.

Organisationally, the championship ran smoothly and in an excellent atmosphere. Additionally, various parallel activities were scheduled, such as the open blitz tournament, the puzzle championship, and the bughouse tournament, which contributed to making the experience even more complete for both participants and accompanying persons.

From the Lloret Chess Club, we highly value both the participation of our players and the opportunity to have collaborated in the organization of an event of this magnitude, which consolidates Lloret de Mar as a leading venue for Catalan chess.

We thank the Catalan Chess Federation for their trust, as well as the thoughtful gesture they had with the club during the closing ceremony with the presentation of an appreciation plaque. Likewise, we congratulate all participants for their effort and sportsmanship. We take away a great experience and the conviction to continue working to train more players in our club.