Muthaiah Al victorious at Leça Open 2026, Shahil Dey third
IM FT Muthaiah Al, GM Omar Almeida Quintana, IM Shahil Dey, GM Jorge Roberto Elias Reyes and FM Mathias Andre Casalaspro scored 7/9 each. Muthaiah won Leça Open 2026 on tie-breaks, Omar second and Shahil third.
Muthaiah’s second consecutive, fourth triumph of the year, Deekshitha Modipalli scores her second WIM-norm
IM FT Muthaiah Al and IM Shahil Dey were coleaders at 6.5/8 each, going into the final round. Muthaiah drew against Shahil to become the champion, Shahil finished third. GM Lelys Stanley Martinez Duany (CUB) lost to GM Omar Almeida Quintana (CUB) and the latter claimed second place.
This s Muthaiah’s consecutive strong tournament triumph. Earlier we reported about Muthaiah’s triumph at 14th Pontevedra Masters 2026 in Pontevedra, Spain. Immediately, after that he won this event. It means he won two strong open tournaments consecutively in a fortnight. It goes without saying that that is a rare feat and a fantastic display of consistency.
WCM Deekshitha Modipalli scored 4.5/9 to secure her second WIM-norm. She scored a norm in her second consecutive tournament within a fortnight. She is expected to have 2454 in the September 2026 FIDE Rating list.
Both Muthaiah and Deekshita showed consistency in two consecutive strong open tournaments.
The total participation in this edition was 247 players, in 186 Open and 61 in Blitz.
The top three prizes in Group A were €2000, €1000 and €700 along with a trophy each.
Champion – IM FT Muthaiah Al 7/9 | Photo: GD Basquete de Leça – Xadrez
Runner-up – GM Omar Almeida Quintana (CUB) 7/9 | Photo: GD Basquete de Leça – Xadrez
Second Runner-up – IM Shahil Dey 7/9 | Photo: GD Basquete de Leça – Xadrez
Top 3 (L to R): 2nd GM Omar Almeida Quintana (CUB) 7/9, 1st IM FT Muthaiah Al 7/9 and 3rd IM Shahil Dey 7/9 | Photo: GD Basquete de Leça – Xadrez
Round 9: IM FT Muthaiah Al – IM Shahil Dey: 0.5-0.5 | Photo: GD Basquete de Leça – Xadrez
IM FT Muthaiah Al scored an unbeaten 7/9, won the tournament on tie-breaks and increased his Elo rating by 14.9 points
Women 1st – WIM Srishti Pandey 5.5/9 | Photo: GD Basquete de Leça – Xadrez
WCM Deekshitha Modipalli receiving her second WIM-norm certificate | Photo: GD Basquete de Leça – Xadrez
WCM Deekshitha Modipalli in action in the final round | Photo: GD Basquete de Leça – Xadrez
WCM Deekshitha Modipalli scored 4.5/9, performed at 2302, gained 128.4 Elo rating points en route her second WIM-norm
Games in progress | Photo: GD Basquete de Leça – Xadrez
Trophies and medals for the prize winners | Photo: GD Basquete de Leça – Xadrez
The tournament hall at Leça da Palmeira’s Sports Hall in Leça da Palmeira, Portugal | Photo: GD Basquete de Leça – Xadrez
Replay all available Open games
A total of 186 players including 8 GMs, 21 IMs, a WGM and 3 WIMs took part from 25 countries across the world. The seven-day nine-round Rating tournament was organized by Grupo Desportivo Basquete de Leça – Chess Club (GDBL Chess Club) at Leça da Palmeira’s Sports Hall in Leça da Palmeira, Portugal from 31st July to 6th August 2026. The time control of the tournament was 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment.
Links
GD Basquete de Leça – Xadrez: Official site, facebook, instagram, youtube and twitter
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