Heading into the final round of the European Chess Club Cup 2026, the battle at the top of the leaderboards remains intensely competitive across both divisions.
Three teams are currently tied for first place in the Open section, each securing 11 match points: SuperChess (Romania), Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club (Turkey), and Novy Bor Chess Club (Czech Republic). Trailing closely by just a single point are four teams on 10 match points: Elektroprivreda (Montenegro), Rishon LeZion A (Israel), Marseille Échecs (France), and Cheddleton Savills Catering (England).
Playing on the top board today, the round-5 leaders – SuperChess and Novy Bor Chess Club, had a direct encounter that ended in a draw after long and intense fights. Two games in the match were drawn, while GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov and GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac scored wins for SuperChess, and GM Nihal Sarin and GM David Navara scored for Novy Bor.
Concurrently, Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club (Turkey) achieved a narrow 3.5–2.5 victory against Tuxera Aquaprofit Nagykanizsai (Hungary) to join the leaders group. Although GM Pranesh M lost to GM Anish Giri on board one, victories by GM Amin Tabatabaei and GM Volodar Murzin sealed the match win for Bayegan Pendik, with the remaining three boards ending in draws.
The fifth round brought major shifts in the Women’s division, as the sole leader CE Gambit Bonnevoie (Luxembourg) suffered a defeat against Odlar Yurdu (Azerbaijan). IM Khanim Balajayeva was the hero for Odlar Yurdu, scoring the winning point against IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya while the other three games finished in draws.
On board two, defending champions Cercle d’Échecs de Monte-Carlo (Monaco) secured an important victory over SuperChess Romania. IM Stavroula Tsolakidou led the Monegasque side with a key win over IM Deimante Daulyte-Cornette, while the remaining three boards concluded in draws.
Following these results, the top of the Women’s division is now a three-way tie at 10 match points among: CE Gambit Bonnevoie (Luxembourg), Odlar Yurdu (Azerbaijan), and Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo (Monaco).
The pairings of the final round are:
| 1 | Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo | Davit Jojua’s chess club | : | ||
| 2 | Odlar Yurdu | Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica | : | ||
| 3 | Crvena Zvezda | CE Gambit Bonnevoie | : | ||
| 4 | SG 1871 Loeberitz | SuperChess Romania | : | ||
| 5 | Club Ajedrez Linares | Gambit ASEE | : | ||
| 6 | Velikova Chess Club | GASCO Pardubice | : | ||
| 7 | Zenski sahovski klub NAPREDAK Zenica | Klub Kolner Schachfreunde | : | ||
| 8 | Wasa SK | She Plays To Win Lionesses A | : | ||
| 9 | SK Radnicki | She Plays To Win Lionesses B | : | ||
| 10 | Accademia Scacchistica Romana | Gostivar | : | ||
| 11 | Klaipeda | Oslo Schakselskap | : |
The top-board pairings of the Open event are:
| 1 | Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club | SuperChess Romania | : | ||
| 2 | Cheddleton Savills Caterling | Rishon LeZion A | : | ||
| 3 | Novy Bor Chess Club | Elektroprivreda *) | : | ||
| 4 | Alkaloid | Marseille Echecs | : | ||
| 5 | SK K CERO INVEST Nitra | Tuxera Aquaprofit Nagykanizsai | : | ||
| 6 | SK Rockaden team 1 | Ashdod chess club | : | ||
| 7 | MTK Budapest 1 | Beer Sheva Chess Club | : | ||
| 8 | Aix-en-Provence | SK Dunajska Streda | : | ||
| 9 | Pausa Chess Club | Vugar Gashimov | : | ||
| 10 | Sigil Fund Pardubice | Breidablik Chess Club A-team | : |
All results, rankings and pairings can be found here.
The final round starts tomorrow at 14:00 CET, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Teams are fighting not only for medals, but also for qualification spots in the European Super League. The live video broadcast with commentary by GM Simon Williams, WIM Lena Govedarica, WIM Sandra Djukic, and WCM Tallulah Roberts can be followed on the official ECU YouTube channel.