Ukrainian Grandmaster Vitaliy Bernadskiy was crowned the winner of the 19th edition of the Figueira da Foz International Tournament – Sabir Ali.

Needing a win in the final round to secure the title, Bernadskiy faced Portuguese International Master André Sousa , who delivered an excellent performance and finished as the best Portuguese player in the competition, achieving 7th place overall .

At just 30 years old, Bernadskiy has spent the last few years living from tournament to tournament, from hotel to hotel, stoically enduring the hardships of a displaced life and the shadow of war in his country. The final victory in Figueira da Foz was achieved with remarkable solidity and high-quality chess. Congratulations to the winner—and may peace soon be the greatest victory.

In second place was the now Indian Grandmaster Harikrishnan , whose title was officially published during the tournament. The player had a brilliant campaign and closed the event with a convincing victory against Female Grandmaster Nino Maisuradze , the best among the women in this edition. However, a draw in the 7th round against compatriot Rathanvel (4th place) ended up taking away the possibility of fighting for first place.

Rounding out the podium in 3rd place was Polish player Radoslaw Psyk , who delivered a remarkable tournament performance and secured an International Master norm , a significant milestone in his career made possible only by the high quality of the Figueira da Foz tournament.

This edition reaffirmed Figueira da Foz's status as a privileged stage for national chess and its prestige worldwide. Twenty countries were represented, transforming the city into a vibrant space for cultural encounters, diversity, and top-level competition. Despite this, the tournament was also marked by a regrettable episode: the refusal of visas by Portuguese consulates to several Indian players, including young talents who are already regulars at this event.

Between intense matches, camaraderie, and the beauty, hospitality, and charm of Figueira da Foz, around one hundred participants are now returning to their countries, taking with them the charm of the city and the unique atmosphere of the tournament, all expressing a desire to come back .

Now that the game boards are put away and the clocks are silent, until next year when time will once again be counted in this universe of 64 squares, there is hope that, in the next edition, all young, and not-so-young, talents who wish to play here can do so freely without being marginalized because of the color of their skin or the country where they were born.

Youth and experience collide in the penultimate round, while the title fight remains wide open.

The penultimate round of the XIX Figueira da Foz International Chess Festival provided one of the tournament's most symbolic moments: the confrontation between the youngest player in the competition, Maksym Faryma , just 13 years old , and the most veteran, the Englishman Philip Adams , 78. A perfect snapshot of the essence of chess, where distant generations meet on the same board.

The young Portuguese talent prevailed, adding another victory to a career that has been widely praised.

At the top of the rankings, Grandmaster Vitaliy Bernadskiy from Ukraine has distinguished himself and now holds a commanding lead , with a half-point advantage over all his competitors. The fight for first place, however, remains wide open.

Today, in the decisive round, Bernadskiy will face the Portuguese International Master André Sousa , who, despite no longer having a mathematical chance of winning the tournament, could — in case of victory — achieve a Grandmaster norm , a feat of enormous importance for national chess.

There are also high expectations at the women's level: Female Grandmaster Nino Maizuradze could still fight for a norm for the absolute title of International Master , should the results of the final round be favorable to her.

The 9th and final round will be played today, starting at 10 am , and promises intense decisions right up to the last play.
The awards ceremony is scheduled for 4:30 PM at the Sweet Atlantic Hotel .

Two Indian Masters, one Ukrainian, and one Bulgarian will fight for the 2025 title.

The fight for the title of the XIX Figueira da Foz International Chess Festival has entered its decisive phase, now reduced to four major contenders : two Indian Masters, one Ukrainian , and one Bulgarian .

The defeat of Catalan Daniel Alsina on the first board against the top seed, Indian Grandmaster Ra Harikrishnan , further restricted the competition for first place. GM Vitaly Bernadskiy , from Ukraine , and GM Vladimir Petkov , from Bulgaria , are the two Europeans who continue to resist Indian dominance.

The Indian contingent also strengthened its presence with International Master Rathanvel K. , who won in the final round against Spaniard Héctor Cárdenas , also an International Master, and now joins the leading group in the race for the trophy.

Among the players, a highlight is Women's International Master Sofiia Hryzlova , from Switzerland , who is among the top-ranked players, confirming the excellent performance of women in this edition.

In the Portuguese contingent, Grandmaster Luís Galego , who had been having a remarkable tournament and fighting for the top spots, was forced to withdraw from the competition due to health reasons . The best Portuguese player is now International Master André Sousa , two-time national champion , who is in an excellent 7th position .

At the end of the first four rounds of the XIX Figueira da Foz International Chess Festival, balance has been the dominant theme. The theoretically strongest players remain in the fight for the final victory, which this year is particularly fierce.

Indian player Harikrishnan , who arrived in Figueira da Foz with the title of International Master , returns home with the distinction of Grandmaster , achieved during the tournament. Polish player Radoslaw Psyk also reached the 2500 Elo rating for the first time, a mandatory condition for obtaining the same highest title in world chess.

November 11th , Angola's National Day , was also marked by the good performance of the Angolan delegation , despite the defeat of FIDE Female Master Ednásia Júnior against Grandmaster Nino Maisuradze , a French player of Georgian origin who holds the impressive record of being the player with the highest number of international tournaments played in more than one hundred countries .

Among the Portuguese, special mention goes to Grand Master Luís Galego , representing the Figueirense Assembly , who has been in excellent form and is among the eight provisional leaders with the same number of points at the top of the ranking.

International Master Harikrishnan, ranked No. 1 in the tournament, is one of the few among the 23 initially registered Indian players who managed to obtain a visa to participate in the Figueira da Foz International Chess Tournament 2025 .

After winning in the first round, the Indian player confirms his status as favorite and remains the strongest candidate for the title . If he achieves victory in the final, he will become the first Indian to win the Figueira tournament , a historic achievement for the competition.

The tournament remains extremely competitive . As is tradition, it promises to offer the public great matches and moments of high-level chess , reinforcing the international prestige of the event.

"Domination — chess alma mater"

📅 November 8 (Saturday) | 🕓 4:00 p.m.
📍 Figueirense Assembly – Figueira da Foz
🎟️ Free admission

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👑 A living legend of world chess

Grandmaster Elizbar Ubilava — coach of Viswanathan Anand, Anatoly Karpov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov — brings to Figueira da Foz an unmissable session on the art of Domination, one of the most fascinating and profound concepts in the game.

More than 40 years as a coach, 52 Grandmasters trained and 4 world champions among his pupils.

We would like to inform you that registration for the XIX Figueira da Foz International Chess Tournament – Sabir Ali is now completely closed. We appreciate the interest shown and the impressive participation of all participants. We hope to see you at future editions of this event.

We have reached our maximum registration limit and, from this moment on, we will only be able to admit players who have pre-registered and are not yet registered, who have a reservation for the days of the tournament at the Sweet Atlantic Hotel or the Hotel Malibu Foz, as well as conditional registrations, which will be subject to possible withdrawals.

For logistical reasons and to ensure the comfort of the players participating in the International Tournament, we can accept a maximum of 100 participants . This limit is very close to being reached. We apologize to anyone who, above this number, expresses an intention to play and who we cannot include in this year's edition.

The 19th Figueira da Foz International Chess Festival has been launched, and the organizers promise not to disappoint either the residents of Figueira da Foz or chess fans, with another parade and showcase of great international and national chess talent. Female participation promises to be the strongest of all. If you enjoy chess, we look forward to seeing you here in Figueira da Foz for a week of top-level chess in a fantastic city.