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♟️ About El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament

El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament is an international chess tournament organization based around the Baix Llobregat area of Barcelona, Spain. The tournament was launched in 2019 by Xavier Pérez Llorca, editor of the regional publication El Llobregat, with the goal of connecting the Baix Llobregat name with a high-level international chess event. Since then, the Open has developed into one of Spain's strongest recurring international tournaments, attracting elite grandmasters, ambitious young players, title seekers, and competitors from dozens of countries. The public tournament brand operates through GESTOPEN, a Spanish nonprofit association registered under CIF G02872463. GESTOPEN is the legal entity behind the tournament website and has also been identified by Spanish and Catalan public institutions as the beneficiary organization for El Llobregat Open Chess projects. However, the tournament's sporting and public identity remains El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament, with Xavier Pérez Llorca serving as its principal organizer. The organization combines FIDE-rated competition with international title opportunities, live broadcasting, chess journalism, educational projects, and activities for the wider community. Across its first six editions, the Open welcomed more than 1,200 participants, with players from around 45 countries represented on average. More than 100 Grandmasters have participated, while the event has produced dozens of international title norms and hosted many of the strongest established and emerging players in world chess.

📜 History and Development

The first El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament was held in 2019 in El Prat de Llobregat. From the beginning, the project was conceived as more than a single-city tournament. Its broader objective was to promote international chess across the Baix Llobregat region while creating an event capable of attracting strong professional players and emerging talents. The tournament did not take place in 2020 during the COVID-19 disruption. It returned in 2021, when the second edition was staged in Castelldefels. Beginning with the third edition in 2022, Sant Boi de Llobregat became the tournament's principal host city. The relationship with Sant Boi allowed the Open to expand its international field, complementary events, institutional partnerships, and media coverage. The competition subsequently continued through its fourth, fifth, and sixth editions before reaching the 7th El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament in 2026.

🏆 International Sporting Record

El Llobregat Open has developed a particularly strong sporting reputation among European open tournaments. The 2022 and 2023 editions were ranked as the best open tournaments held in Spain under the evaluation system used by the Spanish Chess Federation and Spain's Consejo Superior de Deportes. The 2023 tournament achieved a rating of 3,188 points in the FEDA classification, placing it first among Spanish Opens evaluated for that year. Title opportunities are a central part of the tournament model. Across its first six editions, the organization reports 59 master norms, providing ambitious players with opportunities to progress toward International Master and Grandmaster-level achievements. The strength of the field is reflected in the players who have appeared at the tournament. Participants have included Gukesh D, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Arjun Erigaisi, Yu Yangyi, Hans Niemann, Francisco Vallejo Pons, Sara Khadem, Sabrina Vega, Antoaneta Stefanova, Ruslan Ponomariov, and Amin Tabatabaei, among more than 100 Grandmasters who have played in the event.

🌍 International Participation

International participation has been one of the defining features of El Llobregat Open since its early editions. The organization reports an average representation of approximately 45 countries per edition, creating a tournament environment that brings together players from Europe, Asia, the Americas, and other chess regions. A substantial proportion of participants hold international chess titles. Across the first six editions, approximately half of the accumulated field consisted of titled players. At the same time, the tournament has deliberately created opportunities for young players seeking stronger opposition and international title norms. This combination of established professionals and emerging competitors has remained a central feature of the Open.

🧑‍💼 Xavier Pérez Llorca

Xavier Pérez Llorca is the founder and principal organizer of El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament. He is also the editor of the regional media publication El Llobregat and has used that combination of chess organization and media experience to develop the tournament's public profile, institutional partnerships, sponsorship relationships, and international promotion. Pérez Llorca is registered with FIDE under FIDE ID 24583880 and represents Spain. In 2026, FIDE awarded him the title of Associate Organizer. His organizer license is valid for the 2026–2028 period. Current official records for the 2026 El Llobregat Open identify OA Xavier Pérez Llorca as the tournament organizer. He therefore remains the appropriate principal Contact Person for the organization.

🧑‍⚖️ Tournament Standards and Arbiting

El Llobregat Open places significant emphasis on professional tournament administration. The event works with internationally titled arbiters and uses electronic boards and live-game transmission for a substantial part of the field. International Arbiter Hernán Siludakis has played a central role in the tournament's technical and arbiting structure and is again listed as Chief Arbiter for the main 2026 competition. The principal classical tournament is approved for national and international rating, while its structure has historically been designed to create suitable conditions for international title norms. The organization also works with the Federació Catalana d'Escacs and the Spanish chess structure for tournament homologation and rating.

📰 Chess Media and International Coverage

Media development is an unusually important part of the El Llobregat Open model. The tournament has close links with the regional publication El Llobregat, allowing the organization to produce tournament reports, interviews, photography, player stories, analysis, and other chess content throughout the event. This approach helps the tournament reach an audience far beyond the playing hall. During the 2025 edition, the organization transmitted games from 60 electronic boards. Its digital coverage recorded 59,807 users from 45 countries and generated 77,750 page views during the event. The tournament has also worked with specialist chess journalists and commentators, including internationally recognized chess journalist Leontxo García.

🏅 Awards and Recognition

El Llobregat Open has received recognition both for its sporting strength and for its wider organization and communication. Its 2022 and 2023 editions were ranked as Spain's leading open tournaments according to FEDA and Consejo Superior de Deportes criteria. A different type of recognition followed in 2025, when El Llobregat Open Chess received the CLABE Award for Best Event in Spain for 2024. The award was presented during the XVIII Journalism and Communication Awards organized by the Club Abierto de Editores. Xavier Pérez Llorca accepted the award on behalf of the organizing team. The recognition highlighted not only the chess competition itself but also the event's communication strategy, international reach, innovation, and ability to connect competitive chess with a broader public audience.

🎓 Youth and Educational Chess

The organization has increasingly incorporated educational and grassroots chess into its international tournament program. School chess tournaments have been staged alongside the main Open, giving children from the Baix Llobregat region an opportunity to participate in chess during the international festival. The fourth School Chess Tournament, held during the 2025 edition, brought together 120 children representing 15 schools from Baix Llobregat. El Llobregat Open has also supported chess instruction in local primary schools. Chess instructors connected with the project have participated in initiatives with school family associations in Castelldefels, providing lessons for children from the first through sixth years of primary education. These programs reflect the organization's broader view of chess as an educational tool for developing concentration, memory, logical reasoning, critical thinking, and creativity.

👩 Women’s Chess

Increasing female participation has become another development priority. In 2025, women represented approximately 16% of tournament participants, a proportion the organization reported as higher than the comparative FIDE, Spanish, and Catalan averages. Previous festival programs have also included activities specifically designed to promote women's chess, including rapid events involving titled female players. The organization continues to incorporate women-specific prizes and promotional initiatives while encouraging broader female participation in its international field.

🏆 VII El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament 2026

The 7th El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament takes place from December 3–8, 2026 in Sant Boi de Llobregat. The main competition, Open A, is a nine-round classical Swiss tournament played at 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move. Official 2026 Chess-Results records identify Xavier Pérez Llorca as organizer and IA Hernán Siludakis as Chief Arbiter. The competition is staged at Can Massallera, Carrer Mallorca 30, in Sant Boi de Llobregat. For 2026, the organization has restructured the festival. Instead of the traditional lower-rated classical Group B, the program includes a separate rapid tournament.

⚡ Memorial Arturo Pomar

A major addition to the 2026 program is the Memorial Arturo Pomar. The tournament honors Arturo Pomar Salamanca, one of the most significant historical figures in Spanish chess. The Memorial takes place on December 5–6, 2026 at Can Massallera and is incorporated into the official El Llobregat Open festival. It is played over eight rapid rounds with a time control of 15 minutes plus a 5-second increment per move. The competition is open to players with an active FIDE license and a qualifying rapid rating below 2000. It is rated for both Catalan and FIDE rapid Elo. The addition of the Memorial expands the festival beyond its elite classical Open and provides a separate competitive format for a wider range of players.

🤝 Institutional and Regional Partnerships

El Llobregat Open works with public institutions, chess federations, commercial sponsors, media organizations, and local partners. Sant Boi de Llobregat has become particularly important to the project. Following the successful 2022 edition, the tournament organization and the city developed a longer-term relationship intended to establish Sant Boi as the principal home of the event. The tournament has also received public support through Catalan sporting programs. Official grant records identify GESTOPEN as the beneficiary organization associated with El Llobregat Open Chess. These partnerships support the tournament's sporting program, international promotion, educational projects, and complementary public activities.

🏛️ Organization and Legal Structure

El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament is the public tournament brand. The legal organization associated with the project and owner of its official website is GESTOPEN, a Spanish nonprofit association with CIF G02872463. GESTOPEN was constituted on July 6, 2020 and registered in the Spanish National Register of Associations under national registration number 620873. Public institutional grant records also identify the entity as GESTOPEN / El Llobregat Club d'Escacs in connection with the organization of El Llobregat Open Chess. Xavier Pérez Llorca remains the tournament's founder, principal organizer, and public operational contact.