The two-day chess tournament co-organized by the Kalymnos Chess Club and the “Leon Candia” Chess Club of Heraklion, Crete, was held with great success on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December. The matches took place at the “Ai Mousai” Reading Hall, kindly made available by the Municipality, whose support contributed decisively to the smooth organization of the event.
Warm thanks are due to FIDE Arbiter Panagiotis Eleftherakis, who for the second time within a few months travelled from beautiful Crete to Kalymnos, offering valuable assistance and expertise through his experience and professionalism. Special thanks are also extended to Mr. Giorgos Martinos for covering the arbiter’s ferry tickets, as well as to Mr. Angelos Olympitis for donating four tables to the club on the occasion of the tournament. We sincerely thank them all for their support.
Blitz Tournament – Saturday, 27 December
In Group A of the Blitz tournament, a three-way tie for first place occurred between Spanós Nomikos, Kómbos Georgios and Sdrégas Theodoros. Based on tie-break criteria, first place was awarded to Spanós Nomikos, second to Kómbos Georgios and third to Sdrégas Theodoros. A particularly noteworthy and symbolic act of fair play was shown by Spanós Nomikos, who offered the first-place trophy to Kómbos Georgios, a newcomer who delivered an excellent performance in his debut tournament.
In Group B, there was also a tie for first place, with Márthas Theofilos Savvas eventually taking first place on tie-breaks. Second place went to Tsíros Ioannis, while third place was shared in a three-way tie.
Rapid Tournament – Sunday, 28 December
On Sunday, 28 December at 10:00 a.m., the Rapid tournament took place, with a time control of 10 minutes per player plus a 3-second increment per move. More than 40 players of all ages participated, confirming the strong momentum and continuous growth of chess on the island.
First place was claimed by Spanós Nomikos, the highest-rated player of the tournament, who achieved an impressive score of 6.5 points out of 7. In second place, despite his young age and the fact that he is still a middle-school student, was Maglis Nikolaos, who delivered an outstanding performance and earned his first international FIDE rating. Third place went to Sískos Marios, a new resident of the island, who traditionally competes with a team from Thessaloniki.
In Group B of the Rapid tournament, Tsíros Nikandros stood out with a perfect score of 5 wins in 5 games, securing first place. Second place was taken by Tsíros Ioannis, while third place resulted in a three-way tie between Psarompá Anastasia, Márthas Theofilos Savvas and Kappas Nikolaos.
The event concluded in a particularly positive atmosphere, leaving the best impressions on both participants and spectators.
The Kalymnos Chess Club wishes everyone a Happy New Year, with health, love, creativity, and many more chess events in the future.
