Cuban GM Ortiz places 21 in World Chess Open

Cuban Isan Ortiz finished in 21st seat, with six points in nine games in the World Chess Open, in Philadelphia, which was led by Hungarian Gabor Papp.

The three-time Cuban champion totaled five wins, two draws and two losses in a very demanding event which included four double-round days and brought together 220 contestants.

According to the official website of the contest, Ortiz included among his most relevant victims the locals Christopher Chase, Andrew Tang and Tianqi Wang, and drew with the known Paraguayan Axel Bachman.

Defeats were against the host Awonder Liang and Ukrainian Ilia Nyzhnyk, and it was the latter who took him down in the final standings.

Papp won the big prize thanks to seven units resulting from five wins, four draws and better tiebreaker than Moldovan Viktor Bologan and five other players with similar balance.

Georgian Tamaz Gelashvili, Israeli Gil Popilski, Russian Alex Shimanov, Azeri Vasif Durarbayli and the aforementioned Nyzhnyk were part of that list in the seats 3 to 7, in that order.

The other Cuban attending the tournament was Sandro Pozo, who finished 42nd with 5.5 points.