The Sligo Chess and Culture Festival 9-Round Open 2026

SwissStandard

40 players participated in this 9-round tournament, held from 02 Feb 2026 to 08 Feb 2026 in The Diamond Coast Hotel, Bartragh, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo, F26 E9F9, Ireland, Ireland. 14 titled players from 8 federations. Top 10 Elo average was 2323, and top seed was Felix Blohberger (🇦🇹 AUT, GM, 2543).

Felix Blohberger (🇦🇹 AUT, GM, 2543) won with 7.5/9, ahead of Adam Collins (7.0) and Emil Risteski (6.5). Blohberger shared the lead from round 6 and won solo starting round 7.

The biggest upset came in round 6: Yannick Woods (1971) beat Philip Rosol (FM, 2271), a +300-point gap.

Location

🇮🇪The Diamond Coast Hotel, Bartragh, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo, F26 E9F9, Ireland, Ireland

Dates

02 Feb 2026 → 08 Feb 2026

Time control

Standard: 90 minutes with 30 second increment from move 1

System

Swiss · 9 rounds

Top seed

🇦🇹GMFelix Blohberger2543

Avg top 10

2,323

Participants

Titled players · 14

GM×1

IM×3

FM×5

CM×2

WCM×3

Federations · 8 represented

🇮🇪Ireland×17

🇪🇸Spain×3

🇺🇦Ukraine×3

🇦🇹Austria×2

🇳🇴Norway×2

🇬🇧Wales×2

🇨🇦Canada×1

🇵🇱Poland×1

Top 3

🥇
GMFelix Blohberger
🇦🇹AUT·2543
7.5pts·2542perf+1.8
🥈
FMAdam Collins
🇮🇪IRL·2312
7.0pts·2383perf+20.6
🥉
IMEmil Risteski
🇲🇰MKD·2410
6.5pts·2389perf+0.8

How it unfolded

Top 6 · 9 rounds

GM Felix Blohberger led from R7; +0.5-point edge over the runner-up. Title race converged from 3 co-leaders at R4 to 1 by R7.

Co-leaders

Blohberger7.5Collins7Risteski6.5Saine5.5Woods5.5Ribeiro5.5

R7–R9 · LEAD HELD

GM Felix Blohberger held the sole lead from R7 through R9 without losing it.

R8 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · WINNER VS 2ND

GM Felix Blohberger drew with FM Adam Collins (Black).

WIN STREAKS · 2 top finishers

GM Felix Blohberger 3 wins (R5–R7)IM Emil Risteski 3 wins (R1–R3)

Key matchups · top 4

Head-to-head between the four finishers

Player	1	2	3	4
1GMFelix Blohberger	*	½	1	½
2FMAdam Collins	½	*	½	1
3IMEmil Risteski	0	½	*	1
4Zachary Saine	½	0	0	*

Grille américaine

#	Player	Elo	Fed	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	Pts	Bu C1	Bu	SB	Perf	Δ
1	Blohberger, FelixGM	2543	AUT	+20B	=5N	+8B	=15N	+24B	+4N	+3B	=2N	+7B	7.5	44.5	48.5	40.00	2542	+1.8
2	Collins, AdamFM	2312	IRL	+27B	+29N	−4B	+20N	+5B	=3B	+12N	=1B	+6N	7.0	44.0	48.0	35.50	2383	+20.6
3	Risteski, EmilIM	2410	MKD	+19B	+13N	+9B	=4N	+15B	=2N	−1N	=6B	+5B	6.5	46.0	50.5	34.00	2389	+0.8
4	Krastev, AlexanderIM	2433	GER	+23N	+11B	+2N	=3B	+10N	−1B	=6B	=5N	F	5.5	48.5	53.0	31.25	2373	-3.1
5	Saine, Zachary	2149	CAN	+33N	=1B	=12N	+18B	−2N	+17B	+10N	=4B	−3N	5.5	46.0	49.0	26.50	2258	+27.0
6	Woods, Yannick	1971	IRL	+38B	−9N	+30B	=8N	+13B	+10B	=4N	=3N	−2B	5.5	44.0	46.5	25.25	2242	+116.0
7	Willems, NielsFM	2390	FRA	+26N	+16B	=15N	−10B	=12N	+11B	=8N	+9B	−1N	5.5	43.5	47.5	27.00	2271	-10.9
8	Rakhmangulov, AndreiIM	2262	UKR	+34N	+18B	−1N	=6B	+21N	=12B	=7B	+15N	F	5.5	42.5	45.0	24.00	2265	+2.3
9	Ribeiro, GustavoFM	2276	POR	+25N	+6B	−3N	−12B	+19N	+16B	=15N	−7N	+26B	5.5	40.0	44.0	24.75	2160	-19.2
10	Rosol, PhilipFM	2271	POL	+24B	=21N	+28B	+7N	−4B	−6N	−5B	+30N	+16B	5.5	39.0	42.5	23.75	2144	-42.0
11	Hushpit, Lukian	2100	IRL	+32B	−4N	+21B	−24N	+20B	−7N	+30B	=16N	+12B	5.5	37.0	40.5	23.25	2122	+10.8
12	Bartczak, Korneliusz	2077	IRL	=28B	+22N	=5B	+9N	=7B	=8N	−2B	+14B	−11N	5.0	44.0	48.0	25.25	2174	+43.6
13	Ivanov, Andrey A.CM	2093	IRL	+37N	−3B	=19N	+17B	−6N	+25B	=14N	+18B	F	5.0	37.0	37.0	20.25	2053	-14.8
14	Machin Arbelo, Pedro Alexis	1950	ESP	+39N	−15B	−17N	+33B	=25N	+31B	=13B	−12N	+27B	5.0	33.5	35.0	16.50	1929	-3.2
15	Liu, JasonFM	2181	IRL	+30B	+14N	=7B	=1B	−3N	+24N	=9B	−8B	F	4.5	43.0	43.0	21.75	2237	+27.2
16	Barnes, Oliver	2013	IRL	+31B	−7N	−24B	+28N	+32B	−9N	+19B	=11B	−10N	4.5	38.0	41.5	18.25	2015	-2.4
17	Kim, Jimin	1776	KOR	−29B	+27N	+14B	−13N	+22B	−5N	=21B	=23B	=18N	4.5	37.5	41.5	20.25	1994	+97.2
18	O`Flaherty, Kevin	1956	IRL	+35B	−8N	+32B	−5N	−29B	+28N	+24B	−13N	=17B	4.5	36.0	38.5	16.25	1933	-5.2
19	Gulljord, Birk	1923	NOR	−3N	+37B	=13B	=29N	−9B	+38N	−16N	=22B	+31N	4.5	36.0	38.5	15.25	1986	+12.2
20	Morriss, Pete	1931	IRL	−1N	+33B	+31N	−2B	−11N	=35B	−25N	+39B	+34B	4.5	35.5	37.0	11.75	1912	-6.0
21	Halvorsen, Benjamin	2007	NOR	+40N	=10B	−11N	+36B	−8B	−30N	=17N	+24B	=23N	4.5	35.5	36.5	14.75	1929	-16.6
22	Fathallah, Joe	1956	WLS	=36N	−12B	+34N	=25B	−17N	−26B	+35N	=19N	+30B	4.5	30.5	33.0	14.00	1836	-26.6
23	Prado, AlexandraWCM	1924	BOL	−4B	−32N	−37B	=27N	+40B	+34N	+31B	=17N	=21B	4.5	30.5	31.5	13.50	1871	-14.6
24	Alvarez Jimenez, Alfonso	1868	ESP	−10N	+40B	+16N	+11B	−1N	−15B	−18N	−21N	+35B	4.0	39.0	40.0	13.50	1966	+18.6
25	Stokes, Stephen	1875	IRL	−9B	+38N	=29B	=22N	=14B	−13N	+20B	=27N	F	4.0	35.0	35.0	15.75	1971	+18.6
26	Melling, Jonathon	1878	IRL	−7B	−31N	+40B	−32N	+33B	+22N	−29N	+28B	−9N	4.0	33.5	34.5	12.50	1883	-2.8
27	Webb, Nick	1876	IRL	−2N	−17B	=39N	=23B	=37N	+33N	+36B	=25B	−14N	4.0	33.0	34.5	11.75	1803	-18.0
28	Dolan, Peter	1781	SCO	=12N	+36B	−10N	−16B	=35N	−18B	+37N	−26N	+33B	4.0	31.5	34.0	11.75	1847	+25.2
29	Fernandez Manrique, AgustinCM	2038	ESP	+17N	−2B	=25N	=19B	+18N	F	+26B	F	F	4.0	28.5	28.5	17.25	2078	+6.2
30	McGill, Derek	1853	IRL	−15N	+39B	−6N	=31B	+36N	+21B	−11N	−10B	−22N	3.5	36.0	37.5	10.25	1852	-3.8
31	Ranade, Akshay	1723	IRL	−16N	+26B	−20B	=30N	+34B	−14N	−23N	+35B	−19B	3.5	33.0	35.5	10.75	1805	+35.2
32	Bienko, Jagoda	1803	AUT	−11N	+23B	−18N	+26B	−16N	−36B	=38B	−34N	+40N	3.5	30.5	31.5	10.75	1775	-8.6
33	Smith, LyndaWCM	1822	WLS	−5B	−20N	+38B	−14N	−26N	−27B	+39N	+40B	−28N	3.0	31.0	32.0	5.00	1700	-29.6
34	Kelbas, Dariy	1866	UKR	−8B	=35N	−22B	F	−31N	−23B	+40N	+32B	−20N	2.5	31.0	32.0	5.75	1720	-65.2
35	Ashbrooke, MonikaWCM	1628	JCI	−18N	=34B	−36N	+39B	=28B	=20N	−22B	−31N	−24N	2.5	30.0	31.5	7.00	1642	-1.2
36	Armstrong, Chris	1648	IRL	=22B	−28N	+35B	−21N	−30B	+32N	−27N	F	F	2.5	29.0	29.0	8.25	1742	+13.4
37	Salmin, Vitaliy	1802	IRL	−13B	−19N	+23N	F	=27B	F	−28B	+38N	−39B	2.5	28.5	28.5	9.00	1725	-15.4
38	Vitiukov, Mikhail	1650	UKR	−6N	−25B	−33N	+40N	+39B	−19B	=32N	−37B	F	2.5	27.0	28.0	4.25	1660	-0.2
39	Mabhena, Vladimir	1546	IRL	−14B	−30N	=27B	−35N	−38N	−40B	−33B	−20N	+37N	1.5	27.5	28.5	4.50	1524	-7.6
40	Konig, Jon	1661	ENG	−21B	−24N	−26N	−38B	−23N	+39N	−34B	−33N	−32B	1.0	28.5	30.0	1.50	1467	-35.2

Key insights

Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.

Top rating gainers

1Woods, YannickIRL
+116.0
5.5 pts · #5
2Kim, JiminKOR
+97.2
4.5 pts · #16
3Bartczak, KorneliuszIRL
+43.6
5.0 pts · #12

Top rating losers

1Kelbas, DariyUKR
-65.2
2.5 pts · #34
2Rosol, PhilipFMPOL
-42.0
5.5 pts · #11
3Konig, JonENG
-35.2
1.0 pts · #40

Biggest upsets

R6+300 Elo gap
Woods, Yannick1971 beat FMRosol, Philip2271
R9+256 Elo gap
Mabhena, Vladimir1546 beat Salmin, Vitaliy1802
R4+232 Elo gap
Alvarez Jimenez, Alfonso1868 beat Hushpit, Lukian2100