Grebnev wins 25th Dubai Open Chess title

After a month of non-stop competition - playing one tournament after another across three cities in the UAE with little rest in between - teenage Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Grebnev finally hit his stride in Dubai.

Needing only a draw to secure the title, the 18-year-old Russian stayed composed despite an opening surprise by his opponent to calmly collect the half point he needed to clinch the championship in the 25th Dubai Open Chess Tournament on Wednesday at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club.

Grebnev drew his final-round game against GM Shant Sargsyan of Armenia to finish with seven points in the nine-round tournament on account of five wins, four draws, and no losses. While he has won the Asian Junior Championship twice in 2023 and 2024 and was the 2023 U18 World Youth champion, Grebnev considers the Dubai Open as the biggest win in his young career.

“I am very pleased that I managed to show a good performance and win the tournament,” said Grebnev after the title-clinching draw.

“This is my first time winning a tournament of this level.”

Playing white against Sargsyan, Grebnev said he was surprised to see the Caro-Kann defense on the board, which he countered with the Two Knights’ Attack.

“Before the game, I decided that I had to play hard (despite needing only a draw to win the tournament),” he said.

“My opponent surprised me in the opening by defending with the Caro-Kann, but I responded well and the position quickly equalised and he offered a draw.”

The Dubai Open was Grebnev’s fourth tournament in a row - and third successive event within a month in the UAE. He played at the Asian Men’s Championship in Al Ain and the Sharjah Masters last month with uninspiring results, but Dubai proved to be the turning point.

“I feel tired,” he said of playing high-pressure games almost every day for a month.

“But I’m very happy with the results of the tournament.” To celebrate, Grebnev said he plans to explore some of Dubai’s must-visit spots with his mother Helena, who accompanied him during the Dubai leg of his four-week campaign in the UAE.

“I just want to take a break from the tension,” he said. “This is my first time in Dubai and I was planning to go to the Dubai Mall tomorrow. After Dubai, I plan to rest for a week and then I’ll play in the Higher League of the Russian Championship.”

GM Alan Pichot of Spain also finished the tournament with seven points after defeating Iranian prodigy GM Sina Movahed, but settled for second place with an inferior tiebreak score, which calculated the average rating of a player’s opponents. Russia’s GM Ivan Zemlyanskii, who defeated Vietnam’s IM Pham Tran Gia Phuc, Sargsyan, and GM Aleksandar Indjic of Serbia, who won over India’s GM Bharath Subramaniyam, scored 6.5 points each and finished third to fifth, respectively.