Pepe Cuenca takes Temuco title ahead of Diego Flores

A strong international field

The 3^rd edition of the Temuco Chess Tournament, officially titled the III Festival Internacional de Ajedrez Ciudad de Temuco, was held from Friday 9 to Wednesday 14 January 2026 in Temuco, Chile. The event was organised by the Club de Ajedrez Temuco and took place at the Gran Hotel Frontera, located in the city centre of Temuco, in the Araucanía region.

The tournament was played under the Swiss system over nine rounds, with a classical time control of 90 minutes for the game plus 30 seconds per move. Pairings were generated using the Baku acceleration system. The direct encounter and the Sonneborn–Berger score served as the primary tiebreaks for both the standings and the allocation of prize money.

View of Temuco’s downtown from Ñielol Hill in January 2022 | Photo: Héctor Montero

A strong international field gathered in Temuco, with players representing 15 different federations. The starting list featured 12 grandmasters and 7 international masters, led by top seed Johan-Sebastian Christiansen (2656) from Norway and second seed Raunak Sadhwani (2638) from India. Also among the leading contenders were eight-time Argentine champion Diego Flores, famed commentator José “Pepe” Cuenca, alongside strong local representatives Pablo Salinas and Rodrigo Vásquez Schroeder.

After nine rounds of play, first place was shared by “Pepe” Cuenca of Spain and Diego Flores of Argentina, both finishing with 7½ points out of 9. Cuenca was declared the tournament winner on Sonneborn–Berger tiebreaks. The decisive factor proved to be Cuenca’s strong start: he opened the event with five consecutive victories, establishing himself as the sole leader early on. At that stage, Chilean GM Rodrigo Vásquez stood alone in second place on 4½ points.

In the second half of the tournament, Cuenca consolidated his lead with three draws and one additional win. His final victory came in round eight, when he defeated Cuban grandmaster Omar Almeida with the white pieces after a strategically rich middlegame battle.

Flores, meanwhile, finished the event strongly, scoring three wins in his final four games. His only draw during that stretch came in round seven, when he faced Cuenca with the white pieces in a direct encounter that ended peacefully.

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Eight players scored 7/9 points, with Rodrigo Vásquez getting third place on tiebreaks.

Diego Flores | Photo: Official website

Cuenca 1-0 Almeida

Final standings

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