Evgeny Romanov wins Montenegro Open – Mediterranean Championship
GM Evgeny Romanov (MKD) emerged victorious at the Montenegro Open – Mediterranean Championship, edging out GMs Nikita Petrov (MNE), Lorenzo Lodici (ITA), and the top-ranked female player, IM Olga Badelka (AUT), on tiebreaks. The Montenegro Open – Mediterranean Championship, comprising Open A (main event) and Open B, took place in Budva, Montenegro, from July 4–11, 2026, and brought together over 250 players from around the world. Both competitions were 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control. The event’s programme also included the Mediterranean Rapid U20, Mediterranean Rapid U14, and Open Blitz tournaments. The Montenegro Open – Mediterranean Championship 2026 is supported by the FIDE Open Aid Project, which provides financial assistance to open events. When FIDE launched the Open Aid Programme in 2021, the world was facing one of the most difficult periods in modern history. Many open tournaments were at risk of disappearing, and with them, valuable opportunities for professional and aspiring players alike. What began as an emergency response has become a long-term commitment. Since then, the programme has supported 107 tournaments in 73 countries, distributing more than €640,000 to organisers around the world. During the first six months of 2026, FIDE has already supported 28 events. The Open A tournament was extremely tightly contested, with no sole leader emerging at any point in the race. Going into ninth and final round, top seed Lodici, Romanov, and Petrov were sharing the top position with 6.5/8 each. The leaders drew their games, allowing IM Olga Badelka, who defeated FM Kerem Ertan (TUR), to catch up, resulting in a four-way tie for first place. Only one Buchholz point separated the champion, Romanov (pictured above), from runner-up Petrov, who in turn had just a half-point advantage over third-place finisher Lodici. To the delight of local fans, third seed Milojko Kandić dominated Open B, scoring an impressive 8/9. Remarkably, he recorded eight wins and just a single loss (with no draws) to finish half a point ahead of Alexander Borsch and Elvis Kola. Final standings – Open A Final standings – Open B The final round and the closing ceremony were attended by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who delivered a short speech and presented awards to the top finishers. “First of all, my appreciation on behalf of FIDE to the Chess Federation of Montenegro – Jovan Ristov, thanks a lot for that – and to Eray Deriç, the president of the Turkish Chess Federation, for moving this organization forward. We have, I think, a really good goal: to include chess in the multi-sport Mediterranean Games, to be visible to the Olympic movement, to Olympic committees, and to be aligned with all our friends in the Olympic family. So I hope with this event we are closer to this goal, and we will continue pursuing it… And of course, it is my pleasure and honour – not really pleasure, it’s a sad moment, but anyway – it is an honour to declare the Montenegro Open and the Mediterranean Open and Women Championships officially closed.” Photos: Šahovski savez Crne Gore Facebook