Grand Open Blagoevgrad 2013

Grand Open Blagoevgrad 2013, organized by the Blagoevgrad Municipality, Foundation Moral I Pravo and Victory Blagoevgrad Chess Club, will be held from 28th September to 5th October at the 22-ri Septemvri Hall in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

The tournament will be played over nine rounds of Swiss system and is valid for FIDE/BG elo and GM/IM Norms.

The total prize fund is 43,700 BGN (approx 22,300 EUR), with 5000 EUR reserved for the winner.

Registration is with the chief arbiter Dimitar Iliev (phone: +359888955542).

The organizers have insisted on participation of Borislav Ivanov, member of the local Victory Chess Club. A number of anti-cheating measures will take place: two jamming devices, restricted player area, metal detectors, random searches, guards for personal possessions left outside the playing hall (keys, pens, watches, phones, sunglasses etc)

Participants (top seeds):

1. GM Delchev Aleksander BUL 2637
2. GM Saric Ivan CRO 2627
3. GM Sedlak Nikola SRB 2581
4. GM Popovic Dusan SRB 2568
5. GM Adhiban B. IND 2567
6. GM Petkov Vladimir BUL 2564
7. GM Palac Mladen CRO 2562
8. GM Vasilev Milen BUL 2487
9. GM Drazic Sinisa SRB 2461
10. GM Janev Evgeni BUL 2459
11. IM Berbatov Kiprian BUL 2456
12. IM Kukov Velislav BUL 2410
13. GM Manik Mikulas SVK 2403
14. IM Mladenov Plamen BUL 2390
15. NM Tsvetkov Ilia BUL 2373
16. FM Badev Kiril BUL 2343
17. GM Spassov Liuben BUL 2327
18. IM Marholev Dimitar BUL 2325
19. NM Vutov Mario BUL 2324
20. FM Ivanov Borislav BUL 2324