Himal Gusain convincingly clinches 3rd Tours Open 2024
IM Himal Gusain scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 to win 3rd Tours International Open A 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the field. GM Namig Guliyev (AZE) scored 7/9 to secure sole second place. Four players - GM Sergey A Fedorchuk (UKR), IM Guillaume Lamard (FRA), GM Alexandre Dgebuadze (BEL) and Julian Victor (BEL) scored 6.5/9 each. They were placed third to sixth according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was €8000, €6500 for Open A. The top three prizes were €1200, €1000 and €800 along with a trophy each. Himal won the first tournament he played in 2024 an he also started the year in the exact same way he ended 2023, by a winning a tournament. Check out an annotated game by the winner Himal himself. Photos: François Le Guillou
Himal starts 2024 the same way he ended his 2023
IM Himal Gusain was the sole leader 6.5/8 heading into the final round. FM Andrei Filip (ROU), IM Guillaume Lamard (FRA), GM Sergey A Fedorchuk (UKR) and GM Namig Guliyev (AZE) were trailing by a half point at 6/8 each. Himal defeated Filip to become a clear champion. Namig defeated Florian Grezeles (FRA) and Lamard drew against Fedorchuk. Namig and Fedorchuk secured second and third place respectively.
"This year, the women were in the spotlight with GM Marie Sebag, France's top female player, who played a simultaneous game versus 26 players, and WGM Tatiana Dornbusch, who won the women's first prize and gave a master class during the week." - François Le Guillou, Tournament Organizer.
Check out the champion, IM Himal Gusain's favorite game of the tournament against GM Sergey Fedorchuk (UKR) from the third round, annotated by Himal himself.
Thanks to the tournament organizer - François Le Guillou for sharing photographs and information about the tournament.
A total of 140 players including 4 GMs, 9 IMs and a WGM took part from eleven countries all over the world in this five-day nine round Rating Open A tournament. It was organized by François Le Guillou at Salle des Fêtes at Tours Town Hall in Tours, France from 2nd to 6th January 2024. The time control of the event was 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move.
Final standings in Open A
| Pl | Nom | Elo | Cat. | Fede | Ligue | Club | Pts | Tr. | Cu. | Perf | |
| 1 | m | GUSAIN Himal | 2457 F | SenM |  | 7½ | 44½ | 39 | 2651 | ||
| 2 | g | GULIYEV Namig | 2506 F | SenM |  | CVL | C'Chartres Echecs | 7 | 41½ | 34 | 2520 |
| 3 | g | FEDORCHUK Sergey A. | 2550 F | SenM |  | ARA | Lyon Olympique Echecs | 6½ | 44½ | 33½ | 2506 |
| 4 | m | LAMARD Guillaume | 2499 F | SenM |  | PAC | Cannes Echecs | 6½ | 43½ | 34½ | 2466 |
| 5 | g | DGEBUADZE Alexandre | 2441 F | SepM |  | HDF | Cercle Boulonnais des Echecs | 6½ | 43½ | 33½ | 2492 |
| 6 | VICTOR Julian | 2216 F | CadM | | 6½ | 39 | 28½ | 2293 | |||
| 7 | g | LALIC Bogdan | 2349 F | SepM |  | ARA | Le Champ du Fou | 6 | 44 | 32½ | 2333 |
| 8 | m | FILIP Lucian-Ioan | 2369 F | SenM |  | ARA | Club d'Echecs d'Annemasse | 6 | 43½ | 30½ | 2329 |
| 9 | f | FILIP Andrei | 2250 F | CadM | | 6 | 42½ | 31½ | 2281 | ||
| 10 | MIDY Robin | 2154 F | SenM | | PDL | Echiquier Club Le Mans | 6 | 40 | 29 | 2163 | |
| 11 | BOUVET Florian | 2221 F | SenM | | PDL | Echiquier Club Le Mans | 6 | 39½ | 30½ | 2282 | |
| 12 | m | BUJISHO Benjamin | 2353 F | SenM | | PDL | Cercle d'Echecs de Nantes | 6 | 39½ | 30½ | 2244 |
| 13 | f | SAADA Julien | 2265 F | SenM | | NAQ | Poitiers-Migne Echecs | 6 | 38½ | 26½ | 2179 |
| 14 | LEVREBON Florian | 1900 F | SenM | | CVL | Echiquier Tourangeau | 6 | 38 | 29½ | 2129 | |
| 15 | MASSET Jacques | 1983 F | SenM | | CVL | Echiquier Tourangeau | 6 | 37 | 30 | 2106 |
