Carlos Daniel Albornoz

Havana, Dec 5 (JIT) - A successful farewell led the Cuban Carlos Daniel Albornoz to the second place in the International Chess Open Gran Hotel Bali 2024, which closed today in the Spanish town of Benidorm with the coronation of the Italian Andrea Stella.

In command of the black pieces Albornoz defeated in 30 sets of a Sicilian defense the Frenchman Thal Abergel to complete seven units in nine rounds, a figure reached by seven other contestants, among them Stella.

Various results combined during the final round to produce a multiple tie, making it necessary to resort to the mathematical formula to define the positions from one to eight.

The lead was so tight that the third variant was needed to confirm the runner-up, which favored the Cuban to the detriment of local Ruben Domingo.

Albornoz won the first five rounds before losing to Domingo. The draws agreed in his next two rounds took him away from the podium, but the victory in the farewell guaranteed him the second prize, as well as the guarantee of finishing with his Elo of 2,572 points intact.

The tournament in the famous Spanish seaside resort gathered 207 players from 36 nations, and served as part of Albornoz's preparation for the national championship, scheduled for February next year.