Celebrating Chess Excellence at the 2024 American Continental Championship in Medellín, Colombia

The 2024 American Continental Championship in Medellín, Colombia was a spectacle to behold, with loud music, traditional dance routines, and a star-studded lineup of chess players. The tournament, dedicated to the late FIDE Americas President Jorge Vega and part of FIDE’s 100th-anniversary celebrations, saw Colombian GM Roberto Pantoja Garcia emerge as the first Colombian player to win the event.

With 387 players in the classical division, including rising stars like ten-year-old prodigy FM Faustino Oro and World Junior Girls’ Champion WGM Candela Francisco, the tournament was the largest single-tournament turnout for an American Continental Championship. The event also featured impressive anti-cheating measures, including thorough body scans and surveillance checks in the tournament hall and bathrooms.

In a dramatic finish, GM Jeffery Xiong and IM Kirk Ghazarian secured World Cup qualification spots, with Ghazarian earning his third GM norm and inching closer to the 2500 rating needed for the title. Despite the high stakes and intense competition, the players maintained a sense of camaraderie and sportsmanship throughout the tournament.

The event was not only a showcase of top-level chess but also a celebration of the chess community coming together to honor the legacy of Jorge Vega and mark a significant milestone for FIDE. With memorable moments both on and off the board, the 2024 American Continental Championship will be remembered as a truly special event in the world of chess.