André Sousa became the absolute national chess champion for the seventh time in his career, by winning the main individual competition in the Portuguese national calendar, which took place over the last week at TecMaia, in Maia. The 27-year-old chess player, who represents Vitória SC, finished the event with 6.5 points, the result of four wins and five draws, surpassing the tiebreaker applied to teammate José Bárria, who achieved the same score.
With this title, André Sousa becomes the third player with the most national championships won in Portugal, falling just behind António Fernandes, holder of 16 titles, and Joaquim Durão, who has 13. The title was decided in the direct confrontation between the two main contenders, played in the penultimate round of the competition, where André Sousa came out victorious.
Vitória SC completely monopolized the podium of the competition, with José Bárria in second place and Pedro Gil Silva in third. Pedro Gil Silva, FIDE Master, finished the championship with five points, securing the last podium position. The club from Guimarães also had the participation of Samuel Gonçalves, who finished in tenth place among the ten best Portuguese chess players.
This historic result confirms the strength of the chess section of Vitória SC in the national landscape and affirms Guimarães as one of the main references of the sport in Portugal.
