♟️ About Caballo Blanco Benidorm Club de Ajedrez

Caballo Blanco Benidorm Club de Ajedrez is a chess organization based in Benidorm, Alicante, Spain. The club specializes in organizing international over-the-board chess events and is best known as the organizer of the Benidorm Chess Open. Through this tournament series, the organization brings titled players, club competitors, juniors, amateurs, and international visitors together on Spain’s Costa Blanca.

The club works closely with the Federación de Ajedrez de la Comunidad Valenciana (FACV) and other institutional partners. Moreover, its tournaments have received support from organizations including the Benidorm City Council, Alicante Provincial Council, Generalitat Valenciana, and Hotel Meliá Benidorm. This cooperation allows the organizer to combine serious FIDE-rated chess with professional event facilities and services for visiting players.

Fernando Brotons Navarro serves as Secretary of Caballo Blanco Benidorm Club de Ajedrez and plays a central role in the organization of its events. Meanwhile, Alfonso Vilches del Castillo leads the technical and sporting direction of the Benidorm Chess Open. Together with arbiters, federation officials, hotel staff, and other partners, the organization has developed the tournament into one of Benidorm’s recurring international sporting events.

🏆 Benidorm Chess Open

The flagship event of Caballo Blanco Benidorm Club de Ajedrez is the Benidorm Chess Open, an international tournament that began in 2021.

The festival traditionally combines two major classical sections. Open A targets stronger and titled players, while Open B gives lower-rated and improving competitors an appropriate international tournament environment. Both groups use the Swiss System and receive FIDE rating.

The event has expanded considerably since its first editions. In 2023, the third Benidorm Chess Open attracted 267 players from 26 countries. The tournament included grandmasters, international masters, FIDE masters, and the reigning Women’s World Junior Champion.

In 2024, the fourth edition continued the international format. The main Benidorm Chess competition attracted players representing 29 countries, while the accompanying Emilio Pellicer Memorial rapid tournament brought together another 73 competitors.

Growth accelerated again in 2025, when the Benidorm Chess Open welcomed 416 players from 31 countries across four continents. Consequently, the festival established itself as a substantial international chess gathering on the Costa Blanca.

🌍 International and Inclusive Chess

Caballo Blanco Benidorm has placed particular emphasis on making its flagship event accessible to a broad range of players.

The 2025 Benidorm Chess Open included 25 blind and visually impaired competitors, who played in the same tournament environment as sighted players. Therefore, the event highlighted chess as an inclusive competitive sport rather than separating players into isolated competitions.

The organization also accommodates international participants through a hotel-based tournament model. The main competitions take place at Hotel Meliá Benidorm, where large dedicated playing halls allow the organizer to combine accommodation, tournament games, analysis, and additional activities within the same complex.

Moreover, the festival attracts competitors from many different chess federations. This international participation creates opportunities for Spanish club players and juniors to compete against opponents they may not normally meet in domestic competitions.

⚡ Rapid, Blitz and Parallel Events

Caballo Blanco Benidorm Club de Ajedrez organizes more than the two principal classical opens.

The annual program includes the Memorial Emilio Pellicer, a FIDE-rated rapid tournament held during the Benidorm Chess Open. The event gives classical participants and additional visiting players an opportunity to compete in a faster format during the festival.

The organizer also stages Halloween Chess, a late-evening blitz competition. In 2026, the tournament uses the fast 3 minutes + 2 seconds per move format.

In addition, the Benidorm Chess Open program has included grandmaster masterclasses, game-analysis sessions, simultaneous exhibitions, a chess shop, fan activities, and excursions. Therefore, the organizer presents the event as a complete chess festival rather than only a sequence of rated rounds.

📅 Benidorm Chess Open 2026

Caballo Blanco Benidorm Club de Ajedrez organizes the Benidorm Chess Open 2026 from October 25 to November 1, 2026.

The principal program consists of Open A Supra 1800 and Open B Sub 2000. Both tournaments feature nine rounds of classical chess with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move.

The 2026 festival advertises €25,510 in cash prizes across 106 awards. Moreover, the Open A provides conditions for international title norms.

The official FACV tournament calendar lists Caballo Blanco Benidorm Club de Ajedrez as organizer of four competitions during the festival:

• Benidorm Open A
• Benidorm Open B Sub 2000
• Memorial Emilio Pellicer Benidorm Open
• Halloween Benidorm Open

The 2026 technical team is led by Alfonso Vilches del Castillo as Technical Director, with International Arbiter Ismael Nieto González serving as Assistant Technical Director.

🤝 Partnerships and Event Development

The organization has developed the Benidorm Chess Open through cooperation with both chess institutions and local partners.

The Federación de Ajedrez de la Comunidad Valenciana regularly collaborates with the tournament, while Benidorm’s public institutions have supported the event as part of the city’s wider sporting program. The Generalitat Valenciana has also provided financial support to the competition.

Hotel Meliá Benidorm acts as the tournament’s principal venue and an important operational partner. Its two carpeted playing halls offer approximately 600 m² and 700 m² of tournament space.

The partnership also connects chess with Benidorm’s established tourism infrastructure. Consequently, international competitors can combine tournament participation with accommodation, restaurants, beaches, local attractions, and transport services within one of Spain’s major tourist destinations.

📜 History and Development

The first Benidorm Chess Open took place in December 2021, with Caballo Blanco Benidorm Club de Ajedrez already publicly identified as the organizer.

The second edition followed in 2022 and significantly expanded the festival concept. That year, the organization advertised almost €44,000 in prizes across seven tournaments and developed additional services and activities around the principal classical events.

Benidorm City Council’s municipal association register records Caballo Blanco Benidorm, Club de Ajedrez under registration number 327, with tax identification number G-72654247 and a municipal registration date of December 19, 2022.

Since then, the tournament has continued annually. Furthermore, participation has grown from the earlier editions to more than 400 players in 2025.

The organization now combines classical, rapid, and blitz chess with international participation, inclusive competition, institutional cooperation, and tourism-related activities. As a result, Caballo Blanco Benidorm Club de Ajedrez has developed a distinctive tournament-organizing role within the Valencian and Spanish chess environment.