From January 19, 2026 to February 26, 2026, the traditional memorial tournament “Milan Kuzmanović” was held in Pula. This was the 25th edition of the memorial, organized in the relaxed atmosphere of the Chess Club Pula. The rounds are already traditionally played on mondays and fridays, which allows players better preparation time and makes it easier for local players to balance the tournament with their other obligations.
Clashes and a big turnaround of the tournament
At the beginning of this tournament it was clear that, despite the smaller number of players, the competition would be intense. From Kristian Valković, who is otherwise more dedicated to refereeing, to the young players of Chess Club Pula, as well as Žvan Sošić from Rovinj, together with the experienced players of Pula, we knew there would be upsets, which kept the tension alive right until the very end.
With his victory in the fourth round against the top seed Kristian Valković, Luka Karlović, a young cadet of ŠK Pula, moved into a narrow lead in the tournament. However, he lost this advantage in the sixth round after being defeated by our veteran Milorad Siljan.
After taking the lead, Kristian Valković firmly maintained his first place, winning 7 out of 9 games in the tournament and recording only one additional draw against Milorad Siljan, who stood one place behind him until the final round, half a point behind.
In the final round, Milorad Siljan lost to Zvan Sošić, which dropped him to third place, bringing us to the final standings of the 25th Memorial Tournament “Milan Kuzmanović.”
Final tournament standings
First place was convincingly won by Kristian Valković with 7.5 points. Luka Karlović finished in second place with 6.5 points, while third place went to Milorad Siljan with 6 points, thanks to a better Buchholz score than the fourth-placed Mladen Terlević.
The full standings can be viewed at: chess-results-link
After spending wonderful time enjoying chess, we look forward to upcoming events and happenings in Chess Club Pula.