The Second International Sahel Chess Festival in Monastir came to an end
Margarita Potapova Achieves the Women’s Grandmaster Norm!
Over the course of a week, more than 300 chess players from 18 countries competed for prizes in five classical time-control tournaments, while a separate blitz tournament took place on October 29. The venue was the four-star El Habib Hotel on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.
The program was designed for chess players of varied skill levels and ages. The five classical tournaments were played over nine rounds using the Swiss system: Tournament A (“Elite”) was for players rated 2000 or above by FIDE; B was for 1700 –1999; C for 1500–1699; D for below 1500; and a separate S50 tournament brought together senior players. The festival’s total prize fund amounted to approximately 28,000 Tunisian dinars (about €8,200).
Tournament A ended with a convincing victory for Grandmaster Bator Sambuev (Canada), a product of the Soviet chess school. Over nine rounds, he scored 8 points, winning seven games and drawing two. Having secured first place one tour before the end of the competitions, Sambuev defeated Dutch Grandmaster Friso Nijboer with the white pieces in the final round, consolidating his lead and gaining 20 classical rating points. Young Egyptian International Master Hamed Wafa took second place with 7 points, while Italian International Master Valerio Carnicelli finished third with 6.5 points.
A major new success was achieved by Margarita Potapova, Women’s International Master and Russian blitz champion in 2021 and 2026, who represented Moscow Region at the Russian Team Championship in Sochi in May 2026. Scoring 5.5 points in the main tournament, Margarita finished sixth overall, won the best women’s prize in Tournament A by a wide margin, gained 43 classical rating points, and achieved a performance rating of 2401, thereby earning the Women’s International Grandmaster norm. It was a wonderful birthday gift to herself – for her birthday on October 31!
Fourth and fifth places, with 6 points each, went to International Master Zaur Tekayev from Stavropol Krai and FIDE Master Huseyin Said Deveci (Turkey). Other Russian players also finished among the top ten: Grandmaster Evgeny Vorobyov took the eighth place and FIDE Master Maxim Popov at the tenth, both scoring 5.5 points. Women’s International Master Ekaterina Smirnova of Moscow Oblast recorded the second-best result among women in the main tournament; Ekaterina Shestakova won the best women’s prize in Tournament B; and eight-year-old Vladislav Mikhailov of Chuvashia received the prize for the best young player in Tournament D.
Another highlight of the festival – and another triumph for the Russian chess school – was the blitz tournament held on October 29. It was played over nine rounds under the Swiss system with a time control of 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment per move. Grandmaster Vladimir Burmakin won the prize for the best veteran, while Margarita Potapova took the best women’s prize. Zaur Tekayev scored the most points – 8 out of 9 –defeating Grandmaster Farrukh Amonatov of Tajikistan in the decisive final-round game. Bator Sambuev (Canada) and Maxim Popov (Russia) each scored 7.5 points. Thus, Potapova, Sambuev, and Tekayev became the leading figures of the festival’s sporting program, excelling in two different disciplines.
A distinctive feature of the Sahel Festival was its combination of intense chess competition with all-inclusive resort leisure. Participants and their families were able to explore Monastir and its sights. The organizers arranged two excursions: a boat trip and a visit to the ancient Roman amphitheater in El Jem, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Grandmaster Alexander Raetsky, a multiple Russian veterans’ champion, also gave a simultaneous exhibition for young chess players outdoors, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
The colorful closing ceremony was chaired by Wadji Chaouachi, Vice President of the African Chess Confederation. The festival was organized by the Carré Royal chess association from Ksibet el-Médiouni together with Smart Chess Academy, under the auspices of the Tunisian Chess Federation and with sponsorship from Chess Mall. The festival director was international organizer Shaker Eddine Miladi, and the chief arbiter was international arbiter Mohamed Ali Baktash.
The Third International Sahel Chess Festival will take place at the same time of year, in late October 2027!