GM Aleksandar Indjic (Serbia) emerged as the sole winner of the 2025 Baku Open (Group A), confirming his status as the pre-tournament favorite.
The 2025 Baku Open international festival featured three tournament sections—Groups A, B, and C—all 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control. Nearly 700 players representing 16 national federations participated. The total prize fund was $55,000, with $12,000 awarded to the winner of Group A.
Home player and fifth seed Mahammad Muradli took an early lead by winning four consecutive games. However, in Round 5, top seed Indjic defeated him in a pivotal match to seize the lead—a position he maintained until the end. The 2024 European Champion, Indjic, completed the event unbeaten, clinching the title with an impressive score of 7/9.
Baadur Jobava (Georgia), who also remained undefeated, and Vahap Sanal (Turkey) finished just half a point behind the champion, tying for second place. Jobava claimed silver based on the higher average rating of his opponents.
Nikoloz Chkhaidze (Georgia) won the Group B tournament, while Akbar Mirzayev (Azerbaijan) edged out four competitors to secure the Group C title on tiebreaks (Buchholz system).
Final standings (Groups A, B and C)
The closing ceremony of the International Chess Festival “Baku Open 2025,” organized with the support of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, featured several distinguished guests. These included Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Head of the IDEA Public Union Leyla Aliyeva; Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan Anar Alakbarov; Head of the Department of Youth Policy and Sports Affairs of the Presidential Administration, Assistant to the First Vice President Yusuf Mammadaliyev; Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov; FIDE’s 6th President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov; President of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation Mahir Mammadov; and other honored guests.
After the announcement of the final results, top finishers in each category were awarded. Nazli Rustamli and Daniel Konovalov took first place among girls and boys under 8 years old, respectively. In the under-10 category, Yang Youping (China) and Yusif Ahadzadeh topped the rankings. Asnad Bakhshizadeh and Akbar Mirzayev secured first place among players under 12.
In Group B, Dinara Huseynova (women) and Nikolaz Chikalidze (Georgia) topped the standings. Roman Shogdziyev (FIDE) was recognized in the U-16 category. In Group A, Ayan Allahverdiyeva (Azerbaijan) and Aleksandar Indjic (Serbia) were crowned champions.
Photos: Azerbaijan Chess Federation
Official website: bakuopen2025.chess.az/