IM Guido Caprio wins the Maranello blitz marathon
The young International Master Guido Caprio (born 1994), from the province of Rome, dominates the blitz marathon of 22-33 November with a final score of 70 points out of 73. 73 players from all over Italy were present at the start. The tournament recorded an average Elo of 1,892 points. Second place for the winner of the first edition, International Master Kenneth Solomon from Mestre (65.5 points). Completing the podium FIDE Master Michelangelo Scalcione from Bologna (with 64.5 points), first among Club 64 members. Fourth overall the very young new FIDE Master Lorenzo Lodici from Venice (born 2000) with 64 points and fifth overall CM Andrea Locatelli from Bergamo (58.5 points). The band winners are: first in the 2000-2200 band Alessio Boraso from Vicenza (58 points), first in the 1800-2000 band Francesco Ferraguti from Modena (52.5 points), first in the 1600-1800 band Raffaele Bianchin from Venice (33 points), first in the 1450-1600 band Andrea Cricca from Rovigo (47.5 points) and first in the under-1450 band Mattia Cusini from Sondrio (17.5 points). The tournament began at exactly 10.30 on Saturday and, with 2 quick breaks for lunch and dinner, ended at 3.40 at night, slightly later than expected beforehand. The unusual night-time prize-giving ceremony took place at 4. A total of 2,628 games were played, net of the 73 byes, with 1,201 wins for White (45.7%), 217 draws (8.3%) and 1,210 wins for Black (46%). In 1,815 games out of 2,638 (69% of the total) the higher-rated player prevailed as expected, and in the remaining 813 games (31%) the player with the lower Elo managed to win or draw the game. Sincere thanks to arbiters Angelo Mancini and Graziano Ballista, who made themselves available from the morning until the dead of night to officiate this unusual chess event. Thanks also to the agriturismo Villa di Là for the excellent venue provided and for the delicious typical local cuisine with which the players recharged their batteries during the two breaks. Thanks are also due to our friend and co-organiser Marco Benincasa for the excellent management of the event and the organisational coordination. Congratulations to all the winners and to all the participants for the sportsmanship shown during the tournament. In the real hope of repeating the event in 2015 as well, greetings and thanks to all the players in the marathon.
Photos: 15-hour non-stop blitz marathon
72 photos