Luca Ballotti 2nd in the Bergamo International Chess Open B
On Sunday 15 July 2018 the 17th edition of the International Chess Open, organised by ASD Cassia Italia at the Angelini gym, concluded in Bergamo.
Among the 224 registered players and the many top-level players spread across the 3 tournaments of the event, there was a group of boys and girls from Club 64 Modena, made up of Serena Marseglia, Alessio and Simone Santoro, Riccardo and Roberto Mocanu, Matteo and Luca Ballotti, who placed well in their respective tournaments.
Open A, in which 84 players over 1900 Elo were entered (26 players over 2200, 8 GMs, 3 WGMs, 4 International Masters and many other strong and famous players), was won by GM Luca Moroni with 5 pts out of 6 after the armageddon (5-minute game) against the Serbian GM Ivanisevic Ivan, who had scored the same points at the end of the first 6 rounds; third place for GM Basso Pier Luigi with 4.5 pts.
Open B, with 72 players rated between 1600 and 2000 Elo, was won on tie-break by the Pole Brylski Pawel with 5 pts out of 6; Luca Ballotti takes 2nd place overall with the same points as the winner, after meeting and drawing with him in the last round on board 1; third place for Tassini Marco, also on 5 pts.
In Open C, among the 65 players rated below 1700, the Turk Pakis Berkun wins with 5.5 pts out of 6, followed on 5 pts by Sukharev Oleksiy, third also on 5 pts Pegno Mattia;
A fine tournament for Roberto Mocanu who, due to a mistake in the last game, finishes 11th with 4 pts, hard on his heels Simone Santoro 19th with 3.5 pts, recovering in the second half of the tournament, then 35th Serena Marseglia, who unfortunately let the last game slip, on 3 pts together with Matteo Ballotti 37th, who wins the last game against an adult who during the game said out loud to a friend playing next to him “look how I'm steamrolling this one”, then with 1 pt 60th Riccardo Mocanu and 62nd Alessio Santoro.
A lovely weekend of chess and football spent with friends and alongside many strong Italian and foreign players in a truly beautiful city at the foot of the hills.