More than 450 chess players from 34 countries gather in Benidorm this week for the Benidorm Chess Open

Benidorm is hosting a new edition of ‘Benidorm Chess Open’, an international chess tournament bringing together more than 450 players from around the world and once again breaking its own participation record. The official presentation of this year’s tournament took place on Monday at Meliá Benidorm Hotel, the competition venue, where the event will run until 1 November. The tournament has established itself as a fixture on both the national and international chess calendars, attracting players from 34 countries, as well as competitors from all 17 autonomous communities of Spain.

Overall participation stands at 455 players, surpassing last year’s record of 416 competitors across the different tournament categories. According to the organisers, the total prize fund amounts to €25,510.

The presentation ceremony was attended by Councillor for Sports Javier Jordá; Ana Pastor, Vice-President of the Valencian Community Chess Federation (FACV); Manuel Molina, Director of the Meliá Benidorm Hotel; Alfonso Vilches, President of the Caballo Blanco Chess Club and Technical and Sporting Director of the Benidorm Chess Open; and Fernando Brotons, the tournament’s Organising Director. The event is organised by Caballo Blanco Benidorm Chess Club.

The Councillor for Sports thanked Caballo Blanco Chess Club for its work in organising Benidorm Chess Open, as well as Tour-Sport Promociones Deportivas for “bringing high-level sporting events to Benidorm” and staging a tournament with “a strong inclusive dimension”. Jordá welcomed all participants, saying: “You are all very welcome in Benidorm. Make yourselves at home and enjoy these days, which I am sure will be unforgettable for the participants and for us as well.”

Alfonso Vilches outlined the tournament’s first main pillar: its sporting programme. The competition features Open A (SUPRA 1800) and Open B (SUB 2000) categories, played under a nine-round Swiss system with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move. These simultaneous international opens are designed for both professional and amateur players, are valid for FIDE rating purposes and follow international regulations. The event features nearly 20 titled players, including Spanish player Marc Barceló, the under-nine world champion.

The programme also includes the fourth Emilio Pellicer Memorial, honouring the founder of Benidorm Chess Club and the ‘Villa de Benidorm’ International Chess Open. The memorial will take the form of a rapid chess tournament comprising seven or eight rounds, with a time control of 10 minutes plus a five-second increment per move. The ‘Halloween Chess’ event will also return, in a super-blitz format.

The tournament’s commitment to inclusion is further reflected in Caballo Blanco Chess Club’s organisational capabilities, supported by the relevant sporting federations and public institutions. This has led to the club being awarded the organisation of the European Team Chess Championship for Blind Players, scheduled for April 2027.

Ana Pastor highlighted the considerable logistical, material and refereeing support provided by the FACV, describing the Benidorm Chess Open as “an established fixture on the national chess calendar”. She also praised its “commitment to inclusion”, which she described as one of the “most beautiful aspects of this sport”. She concluded by wishing everyone “an exciting competition, fair play and a memorable few days in Benidorm”.

Fernando Brotons went on to explain the other two main pillars of the Benidorm Chess Open: the overall participant experience and its international dimension, particularly in relation to sports tourism.

The programme includes a conference and workshop entitled ‘Preparing Chess Games with OSINT and Artificial Intelligence’, delivered by Isaac Lozano Osorio, a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, lecturer at Rey Juan Carlos University and founder of YottaChess (YottaBase), described as the world’s largest free chess database.

Grandmaster Julen Arizmendi is also returning for another year, offering game analysis sessions and three masterclasses. The third masterclass will be aimed exclusively at players affiliated with the Spanish Federation of Sports for the Blind, which operates under the umbrella of ONCE. Fourteen visually impaired chess players will take part in the tournament. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit Valor Chocolate Museum and enjoy a wine and olive oil tasting at Bodegas Sendra González.

Brotons also emphasised the tournament’s international reach, with players representing 34 different nationalities: Germany, Andorra, Bulgaria, Colombia, Scotland, Spain, the United States, France, Wales, Georgia, Hungary, India, England, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Morocco, Moldova, Norway, the Netherlands, Panama, Poland, Puerto Rico, the Czech Republic, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and Venezuela. Participants of Russian and Belarusian origin are also competing under the FIDE flag.

The tournament’s sports tourism dimension extends beyond the international field, attracting players from across Spain, except the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

The Meliá Benidorm Hotel is the official venue for the Benidorm Chess Open. From the start of the international tournament on Sunday until its conclusion on 1 November, the 455 players are expected to generate more than 2,400 overnight stays. This figure rises to more than 500 people when accompanying guests and referees are included.

About the Benidorm Chess Open
Benidorm Chess Open is an established and popular tournament on the national chess circuit, organised by Caballo Blanco Benidorm Chess Club. It is supported by Meliá Benidorm Hotel and Benidorm City Council, with the collaboration of the Second Vice-Presidency and Regional Ministry of the Presidency of the Valencian Regional Government, Alicante Provincial Council, the Valencian Community Chess Federation (FACV), the Spanish Chess Federation (FEDA) and the International Chess Federation (FIDE).