The city of Figueira da Foz has the honor of being the stage for one of the current phenomena in world chess: Sharvaanica Saravanan, the young Indian who broke barriers by becoming the youngest player to reach 2000 Elo points, in a country that already there was a world champion. Sharvaanica has attracted worldwide attention by imposing herself not only in the women's sector but in absolute terms, beating her male rivals. At Figueira da Foz, above all, he seeks to face great names in world chess, male and female Grandmasters from 20 countries, and strengthen his career, which has already started in a fantastic and brilliant way.
After last year's success with another young Indian, Charvi Anilkumar, expectations are high to see how far Sharvaanica can go in this tournament, where she stands out not only as a chess prodigy, but also as a symbol of gender equality – a central theme at the Figueira da Foz International Chess Festival.
This year's women's squad brings together one of the strongest teams ever seen in Portugal, with several international stars, former world champions in young categories and, among others, Grand Master Elina Danielian, absolute European champion in 2022.
She is joined by figures such as Portuguese national champion Ana Inês Silva, who is expected to
many difficulties to reach the top five positions among women.
Young prodigies in the spotlight
In addition to Sharvaanica, the tournament welcomes other promising talents
of world chess, including an extraordinary Indian player Darshan
Gurukanthan, 11 years old, also in the world top of his age group,
and the promising Attila Orman, from Azerbaijan who, at just 9 years old, is a sports star in his country.
Youth does not overshadow the luxury veteranity of the Figueirense throne with the two stars who had fantastic careers and who surpassed 70 years of age, the GMs, Oleg Romanish from Ukraine and Kevin Spraggett from Canada.
With more than 80 players competing, this tournament offers the highest prize value of all time in Portugal, bringing a unique and intense spectacle until the last minute. Don't miss the opportunity to watch the growth of future chess legends and the battle for the increasingly valued title!