Ivanchuk Triumphs At Menorca With Stunning 2833 Performance, Returns To World's Top 100
The one and only GM Vasyl Ivanchuk capped off a brilliant comeback by winning the 4th Menorca Open with an unbeaten 8/9 score and an impressive 2833 performance. The 56-year-old secured his first major tournament victory since 2019, and with it, a return to the world's top 100 players.
The big chess festival on the Spanish island of Menorca concluded on Sunday and featured a strong field of 45 grandmasters among the 185 players in the top group. Despite the tough competition, Ivanchuk dominated the event from start to finish. He clinched clear first after a dramatic final-round victory against India's young GM Pranesh M.
With his score of 8/9, Ivanchuk finished half a point ahead of GMs Lu Shanglei and Murali Karthikeyan, while top seeds GM Sam Shankland and GM Nihal Sarin fell short.
| Rk. | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | |
| 1 | GM | Vasyl Ivanchuk | 2604 | 8 | |
| 2 | GM | Lu Shanglei | 2618 | 7.5 | |
| 3 | GM | Murali Karthikeyan | 2651 | 7.5 | |
| 4 | GM | Tomas Sosa | 2498 | 7 | |
| 5 | GM | Andy Woodward | 2536 | 7 | |
| 6 | IM | Edgar Mamedov | 2453 | 7 | |
| 7 | GM | Sam Shankland | 2670 | 7 | |
| 8 | GM | Nihal Sarin | 2687 | 6.5 | |
| 9 | GM | Alisher Suleymenov | 2478 | 6.5 | |
| 10 | GM | Pranav Anand | 2538 | 6.5 | |
| 11 | GM | Kirk Ghazarian | 2493 | 6.5 | |
| 12 | GM | Pranesh M | 2572 | 6.5 | |
| 13 | GM | Volodar Murzin | 2658 | 6.5 | |
| 14 | IM | Diego Macias Pino | 2510 | 6.5 | |
| 15 | GM | Evgeny Zanan | 2454 | 6.5 |
Full standings at Chess-Results.com.
Ivanchuk is widely regarded as one of the greatest players the game has seen in the last three decades, having been ranked world number-two and having won major events such as Linares, Wijk aan Zee, and the 2016 World Rapid Championship. Yet in 2024 he slipped down the rating list, nearing the 2600 mark, which he hadn't seen since he was 19 years old in 1988.
April, however, has been a great comeback for Ivanchuk. He played 27 classical games across three tournaments—in Reykjavik, Alicante, and Menorca—without a single rest day, often facing double-rounds that are a test even for younger players. His fantastic run has seen him climb from 2609 to 2644, reentering the top 100 for the first time since November.
After narrowly missing out on tournament victory at the Reykjavik Open (where he finished second) and scoring a solid 7.5/10 in Semana Santa San Vicente del Raspeig Costa Blanca in Alicante, Ivanchuk arrived in Menorca seeded just eighth, behind stars such as Nihal, Shankland, and reigning world junior champion GM Pranav Venkatesh. Yet, it would soon become clear they would be no match for "Chucky."
While Shankland dropped behind after two draws and a loss against IM Oleksii Bilych, Ivanchuk was on fire and scored an important win in round four, tricking Nihal in what seemed like a drawish rook ending.
After Nihal's 46.Rh2?? Ivanchuk picked up a pawn with 46...Rc4!, eventually winning the endgame.
In the following round against Lu, Ivanchuk threw away a winning endgame and had to settle for a draw. He returned to the winning path in the next round against GM Momchil Petkov.
Heading into the final round, Ivanchuk kept the lead by half a point. A draw would almost guarantee first due to his superior tiebreaks, yet he played ambitiously with the black pieces against the rising Indian, eventually prevailing in a rollercoaster of an endgame battle.
The final moments of the game were even recorded. Don't miss them!
The last couple of minutes as 56-year-old Vasyl Ivanchuk wins the Menorca Open — playing his 27th classical game unbeaten in 19 days! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/CTLzaoDoUw
— chess24 (@chess24com) April 27, 2025
The Menorca triumph is Ivanchuk's first tournament victory since the 2019 Tournament of Peace in Croatia, but this win must taste even sweeter after experiencing a slump. Now, Ivanchuk is back to 2644, his highest point since November 2023.
Well-deserved praise poured in on social media.
Good to see Ivanchuk doing so well!
— Anish Giri (@anishgiri) April 27, 2025
He was a legend already when I just started.
He is an even bigger legend now.💪♟️🔥
Former Spanish number-one GM Miguel Illescas, who competed with the Ukrainian in the 1990s, also paid tribute.
Congratulations to the great Vassily Ivanchuk, proud winner of @ChessMenorca Open, with +7 =2 -0, ahead of more than 300 players. pic.twitter.com/6q12OWUC5v
— Miguel Illescas (@illescasmiguel) April 27, 2025
As did a former women's world champion.
Ivanchuk followed up his 2700 performance with 2833 performance! Not bad for a 56 year old senior 😁 pic.twitter.com/z5ymO3YqqP
— Susan Polgar (@SusanPolgar) April 27, 2025
Meanwhile, the Menorca Open was also close to being a triumph for the youngest-ever international master, Faustino Oro. The 11-year-old Argentinian has broken several records in the last two years and is now chasing his first grandmaster norm. If successful, he could become the youngest to score one, surpassing GM Gukesh Dommaraju, who was 11 years, 10 months, and 24 days when he achieved a norm in the 2018 Bangkok Open.
Oro appears to have made tremendous progress in the last few months, as proven by achieving a 3100 blitz rating on Chess.com and scoring two excellent performances in Spain this month. He was just one point away in Alicante, losing his final round game when a win was required.
In Menorca, he started excellently with 5/6 after beating young GMs Jan Malek and Savva Vetokhin on the way. However, the young star then suffered a loss against Lu in round seven, and failed to convert a promising position against GM Praveen Balakrishnan in round eight.
Oro needed to beat IM Zhandos Agmanov in the final round to achieve the norm. He eventually ended up in a lost position but miraculously managed to save it when his opponent fell for a tactic. Regardless, it was a great performance by the Argentinian prodigy, who picked up 18 rating points and broke 2450 for the first time.
The future is bright for Ivanchuk and Oro.
