The 41st European Chess Club Cup and the 30th edition of the European Women’s Chess Club Cup concluded yesterday in Budva, Montenegro.
Bayegan Pendik Sports Chess Club (Turkey) emerged as the Winner of the Open section, while Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo successfully defended the title in the Women’s event.
Heading into the final round of the event, there were three teams in the Open section tying for the top: Bayegan Pendik Sports Chess Club (Turkey), SuperChess (Romania) and Novy Bor Chess Club (Czech Republic). The last round featured the top-board direct encounter between Bayegan Pendik and SuperChess, while Novy Bor Chess Club played against Elektroprivreda (Montenegro).
After intense and long games, Bayegan Pendik Sports Chess Club defeated SuperChess with a narrow score 3.5-2.5 with victories by GM Anish Giri and GM Amin Tabatabaei against GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov and GM Haik Martirosyan (respectively). GM Jorden Van Foreest scored for SuperChess after defeating GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, but the other three games finished in a draw and the Turkish club won the match.
Novy Bor Chess Club was victorious against Elektroprivreda thanks to the victories by GM Sarin Nihal, GM Pentala Harikrishna, and GM David Navara, while the other three games finished with draws.
Scoring 13 match points each, Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club (Turkey) and Novy Bor Chess Club (Czech Republic) tied for the top, but Bayegan Pendik had better tiebreak criteria to clinch the title.
Novy Bor Chess Club (Czech Republic) claimed silver medal.
Rishon LeZion A (Israel) won the bronze medal with 12 match points, while six teams scored 11 match points (each) and tied for the fourth and equally important place which guarantees the qualification spot for the inaugural European Super League. With the best tiebreaks, SuperChess Romania finished fourth.
Ahead of the final round of the Women’s event, there were three teams tying for the top: Cercle d’Echecs de Mone-Carlo (Monaco), CE Gambit Bonnevoie (Luxembourg) and Odlar Yurdu (Azerbaijan).
Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo scored a crushing 4-0 win in the final round against Davit Jojua’s chess club (Georgia) to conclude the event with the score of 12 match points.
CE Gambit Bonnevoie (Luxembourg) scored a narrow 2.5-1.5 win over Crvena Zvezda (Serbia) as GM Ushenina Anna and IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya won their games, while GM Eline Danielian lost to WIM Adela Velikic. The game on the second board finished in a draw, putting CE Gambit Bonnevoie on the final score of 12 match points and a tie for the first place.
Odlar Yurdu (Azerbaijan) lost to Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica (Serbia) as the Serbian team scored a convincing 3.5-0.5 victory, with the only draw played on the third board.
Following the results, Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo (Monaco) and CE Gambit Bonnevoie (Luxembourg) tied for the top, but Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo had better tiebreak criteria to defend the title and win gold medal.
CE Gambit Bonnevoie finished second.
While Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica (Serbia) and Odlar Yurdu (Azerbaijan) tied for bronze medal scoring 10 match points each. With dominant tiebreaks, Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica finished the event in the third place.
The best individual players in both sections were awarded according to their tournament performance on each board.
The best individual players (Open section):
Board 1: 1. GM MarcAndria Maurizzi; 2. GM Vaclav Finek; 3. GM Aydin Suleymanli
Board 2: 1. GM Sarin Nihal; 2. GM Wei Yi; 3. GM Murali Karthikeyan
Board 3: 1.FM Lennert Lenaerts; 2. GM Pentala Harikrishna; 3. GM Mahel Boyer
Board 4: 1.GM Benjamin Gledura; 2. GM Alexey Sarana; 3.GM Richard Rapport
Board 5: 1.GM Ihor Samunenkov; 2.GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac; 3.GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Board 6: 1.GM Volodar Murzin; 2.GM Ediz Gurel; 3.GM Velimir Ivic
The best individual players (Women’s section):
Board 1: 1.GM Aleksandra Goryachkina; 2.GM Nino Batsiashvili; 3.IM Polina Shuvalova
Board 2: 1.GM Humpy Koneru; 2.IM Leya Garifullina; 3.IM Klaudia Kulon
Board 3: 1.IM Nurgyul Salimova; 2.GM Elina Danielian; 3.IM Stavroula Tsolakidou
Board 4: 1.IM Gulnar Mammadova; 2.GM Elisabeth Paehtz; 3.IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya
The Closing Ceremony of the event took place yesterday evening in the complex of the Slovenska Plaza Hotel, with the attendance of the ECU President Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili, President of the Montenegro Chess Federation Mr. Jovan Milovic, ECU Vice Presidents Mr. Lasse Ostebo Lovik, Mrs. Ingrid Lauterbach, Mr. Jean Michel Rapaire, Mr. Sarkhan Gashimov, Mr. Roman Muzik, ECU Treasurer Mrs. Prabitha Urwyler, ECU Honorary Vice Presidents Mr. Veselin Draskovic, Mr. Malcolm Pein, Mr. Moshe Slav and Mr. Volodymyr Kovalchuk, ECU Secretary General Mr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou, and other distinguished guests.
After the awards ceremony, the ECU President Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili addressed the guests, players and captains, and officially declared the event closed.
Final rankings can be found here.