As part of the "Chess Tour Azerbaijan" initiative launched by the Azerbaijan Chess Federation, Ganja Open 2025 International Chess Festival is set to take place in the country's second-largest city, Azernews reports.
The festival will feature a total prize fund of 41,200 AZN (24,235 USD) and will be held across two categories: Group A and Group B.
In addition, Rapid and Blitz tournaments will also be organized as part of the event.
Group A is open to participants with an international rating of 2000 and above, while Group B is reserved for players rated below 1999.
The Rapid and Blitz events will have no rating restrictions.
The Ganja Open is the seventh open tournament in the ongoing Chess Tour Azerbaijan series.
Following the Baku Open, it boasts the second-largest prize fund in the tour.
Note that "Chess Tour Azerbaijan" is a project initiated by Azerbaijan Chess Federation.
Recall that the first six tournaments of the "Chess Tour Azerbaijan" project have officially concluded, marking the end of the spring-summer leg of the tour.
Throughout the series, a total of 1,553 players, including 300 women, took part in the open tournaments.
Among them were 26 Grandmasters (GMs), 37 International Masters (IMs), 2 Woman International Masters (WIMs), 35 FIDE Masters (FMs), 6 Woman FIDE Masters (WFMs), 14 Candidate Masters (CMs), and 12 Woman Candidate Masters (WCMs).
In total, 971 participants represented 20 different national federations, highlighting the international scope of the competition.
One of the standout performers of the tour was Khagan Ahmad, who emerged as the star of the series.
Winning three out of five tournaments he entered, Ahmad significantly boosted his rating by 56 points, climbing to 2449 over the course of events from Shaki to Guba.
Another noteworthy result came from GM Khazar Babazada, who followed up his success at the "Baku Open 2025" with a victory at the "Shamakhi Open 2025".
His momentum continued in the Turkish 1st League, where his performance helped him surpass the 2500 rating threshold.
Ukrainian GM Vitaliy Bernadskiy also made a strong impression, placing second in three of the five tournaments he entered and securing a fourth-place finish in another, making him one of the most consistent performers of the tour.
Four players demonstrated remarkable dedication by competing in all six tournaments held to date: GM Vugar Manafov, CM Tunar Davudov, Alakbar Ismayilov, and Sadagul Afandi.
Moreover, nine players took part in five events, 53 in four, 102 in three, and167 in two tournaments, showing a strong core of recurring participants.
Notable achievements also came from GM Ahmad Ahmadzada and GM Mohammad Muradli, whose active participation added to the competitive level of the tour. Ahmadzada's victory at the "Vugar Gashimov Open 2025" stands out as one of the highlights of the series.
As the "Chess Tour Azerbaijan" moves into its next phase, the strong performances and widespread participation in the first six events have laid a solid foundation for the future of the project.
