45th VILLA DE BENASQUE INTERNATIONAL CHESS OPEN 2026. ROUND 2
The second round of the Benasque Open lived up to expectations after what happened in the first round. Board 11 was once again the scene of a favourite’s defeat, this time Chile’s Mauricio Marrujo losing to Valencia’s Pablo Antoneac, in a game between two promising U16 players.
Several top-20 players had to concede half a point, including Mexican GM José Gabriel Cardoso against Zaragoza’s Daniel Gómez on board 5, Israeli GM Dan Zoler against Catalan player Damia Benet on board 8, and Huesca-born GM Roberto Cifuentes against Zaragoza’s Catalin Conon on board 13.
Those still advancing confidently are the American GMs Mikhail Antipov and Brandon Jacobson, the main favourites for overall victory, along with the players ranked 3rd and 4th, Momchil Petkov and Aditya Samant.
Round 2 Results
| 1 | Martín Cabeza Nicolas | 0 – 1 | GM | Antipov Mikhail Al. | |
| 2 | GM | Jacobson Brandon | 1 – 0 | Jiménez Freniche David | |
| 3 | Suárez Álvarez Miguel | 0 – 1 | GM | Petkov Momchil | |
| 4 | GM | Samant Aditya S | 1 – 0 | Yu Tianxiang Carlos | |
| 5 | FM | Gómez Anadón Daniel | ½ – ½ | GM | Cardoso Cardoso José Gabriel |
| 6 | GM | Tiglon Bryce | 1 – 0 | Camps Abadía Arnau | |
| 7 | AIM | Alonso Vargas David | 0 – 1 | GM | Avila Pavas Santiago |
| 8 | GM | Zoler Dan | ½ – ½ | Benet Morant Damia | |
| 9 | GM | Castellanos Rodríguez Renier | 1 – 0 | Gómez Fernández Pedro Javier | |
| 10 | IM | Habans Aguerrea Javier | 1 – 0 | Blázquez Sanz Oscar | |
| 11 | Antoneac Antoneac Pablo S. | 1 – 0 | FM | Marrujo Pardo Mauricio E. | |
| 12 | Pallares Jover Adrián | 0 – 1 | IM | Vergara Anton Diego | |
| 13 | CM | Conon Catalin | ½ – ½ | GM | Cifuentes Parada Roberto |
| 14 | FM | Povshednyi Ivan | 1 – 0 | IM | Martín González Ángel |
| 15 | Ezcurra Garzo Adrián | 0 – 1 | IM | Xie Felix |
In the standings, there are 48 players on two points, including 7 of the top 10 seeds, a large group of junior players, 4 veterans and 2 female players.
Round 3 Pairings:
| 1 | GM | Antipov Mikhail Al. | – | FM | López Mijail Nicolas |
| 2 | Moreno Estébanez Patxi | – | GM | Jacobson Brandon | |
| 3 | GM | Petkov Momchil | – | FM | Romero Pallares Daniel |
| 4 | FM | Garrigue Julian | – | GM | Samant Aditya S |
| 5 | FM | Bravo De La Vega Álvaro | – | GM | Tiglon Bryce |
| 6 | GM | Avila Pavas Santiago | – | FM | Escartín Lacasa José |
| 7 | FM | Lorente Melcón Máximo | – | GM | Castellanos Rodríguez Renier |
| 8 | Gómez Pastrana Juan | – | IM | Habans Aguerrea Javier | |
| 9 | IM | Vergara Anton Diego | – | GM | Jansa Vlastimil |
| 10 | Jin Ruijun | – | FM | Povshednyi Ivan | |
| 11 | IM | Xie Felix | – | WGM | Cervantes Landeiro Thalia |
| 12 | GM | Ubilava Elizbar | – | FM | Atares Buisan Sergio |
| 13 | Torres Rebolledo Víctor | – | FM | Zamengo Fulvio | |
| 14 | Asensio Asensio Nicolas | – | FM | Montoliu Cerveró Francisco | |
| 15 | FM | Sánchez Aller Fernando | – | Sanz Gorospe Ibai |
Several Aragonese players will be rubbing shoulders with the favourites on the top boards: Daniel Romero on board 3, José Escartín on board 6 and Máximo Lorente on board 7.
This round will be the last before double sessions begin, as on Wednesday morning the Blitz Championship will take place and the parallel activities will get under way.