GM Sandro Mareco has been crowned champion of the 99th Argentine Championship. The 12-player round-robin tournament, with classical time control, took place from November 26 to December 6, 2024, at City House in Buenos Aires.

The championship evolved into an exciting duel between top-seed Mareco and defending champion GM Fernando Peralta. IM Lukas Coro shared the lead until Round 7, but consecutive losses to both Mareco and Peralta knocked him out of contention for the podium.

Entering the final 11th round a half-point ahead of his closest rival, Sandro Mareco secured his second national title by defeating IM Pablo Ismael Acosta and finishing with an impressive score of 8.5/11. Sandro previously won this event in 2015.

Peralta also won his final-round game, beating Faustino Oro, and claimed second place with a strong score of 8/11. IM Diego Flores completed the podium in third place. Remarkably, all three top finishers went undefeated throughout the event.

A standout performance came from 11-year-old prodigy Faustino Oro (pictured below, right), making his debut in the super-final. Oro delivered a solid showing, scoring 6.5/11 and finishing in fourth place.

Final standings:

Photos: Federación Argentina de Ajedrez (FADA)