Novy Bor and TAJFUN SK Ljubljana win European Club Cups 2024

The 39th European Chess Club Cup and the 28th European Women’s Chess Club Cup concluded yesterday in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia.

Novy Bor Chess Club emerged as the sole Winner of the Open tournament scoring impressive 13 match points. Playing in the final round against the top seeded SuperChess, Novy Bor Chess Club scored a narrow 3.5-2.5 win to ensure gold, as GM Anton David Guijarro (2667, Novy Bor) prevailed against GM Jorden Van Foreest (2697, SuperChess) and the other games finished in a draw. Novy Bor Chess Club clinched their 9th European Chess Club Cup medal (3 gold, 5 silver, 1 bronze) listing themselves as one of the most successful clubs in European Club Cups.

Alkaloid team claimed silver medal with the score of 12 match points, after crushing C’Chartres Echecs with a convincing score of 5-1. Only two games in the match finished in a draw: the game between GM Vasyl Ivanchuk (2632, C’Chartres Echecs) and GM Arjun Erigaisi (2797, Alkaloid), and the game between GM Maxime Lagarde (2595, C’Chartres Echecs) and GM Narayanan SL (2640, Alkaloid).

As many as four teams tied for bronze medal scoring 11 match points each and the tiebreak criteria (Olympiad-Sonneborn-Berger-Tie-Break without lowest result) determined the medalists. Vados Chess Club clinched bronze, Turkish Airlines came fourth, TAJFUN SK Ljubljana finished fifth and Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club was sixth.

TAJFUN SK Ljubljana emerged as the sole Winner of the 28th European Women’s Chess Club Cup after defeating the top seeded Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo in the last round. The match finished with 2.5-1.5 result, as three games concluded in a draw, and IM Olga Badelka (2430, TAJFUN SK Ljubljana) prevailed against IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (2478, Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo). Scoring 13 match points, TAJFUN SK Ljubljana was one match point ahead of the runner-ups.

Garuda Ajka BSK claimed silver scoring 12 match points, after a convincing 3.5-0.5 win in the last round against Gambit Bonnevoie. The only game in the match to finish in a draw was played between IM Deshmukh Divya (2501, Garuda Ajka BSK) and WGM Olga Babiy (2338, Gambit Bonnevoie).

Despite a loss against Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica in the last round, SuperChess Club won bronze medal with the score of 11 match points. Intense match that could determine the Winner of the event finished in favour of the Serbian club after victories by IM Nurgyul Salimova (2405, Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica) and IM Leya Garifullina (2438, Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica) who scored against IM Dinara Wagner (2436, SuperChess) and IM Marsel Efroimski (2399, SuperChess), respectively. GM Nino Batsiashvili (2467, SuperChess) scored against IM Gunay Mammadzada (2426, Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica), but the game between IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva (2383, SuperChess) and WGM Govhar Beydullayeva (2402, Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica) finished in a draw.

The best individual players per boards were:

Board 1 (Open section): 1.GM Arjun Erigaisi, 2.GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, 3.GM Sanan Sjugirov
Board 2 (Open section): 1.GM Nodirbek Yakubboev, 2.GM Vincent Keymer, 3.GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov
Board 3 (Open section): 1.GM Yu Yangyi, 2.GM Amin Tabatabaei, 3.GM Kobo Ori
Board 4 (Open section): 1.IM Ilinca Felix-Antonio, 2.GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, 3.GM Aravindh Chithambaram
Board 5 (Open section): 1.GM Volodar Murzin, 2.GM Maxime Lagarde, 3.GM David Anton Guijarro
Board 6 (Open section): 1.GM Markus Robert, 2.GM Aleksandar Indjic, 3.GM Javokhir Sindarov

The best individual players in the Women’s competition were:

Board 1 (Women’s section): 1.GM Nana Dzagnidze, 2.GM Nino Batsiashvili, 3.IM Alina Bivol
Board 2 (Women’s section): 1.GM Zhu Jiner, 2.GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, 3.IM Dinara Wagner
Board 3 (Women’s section): 1.IM Olga Badelka, 2.IM Leya Garifullina, 3.WFM Anna Zhurova
Board 4 (Women’s section): 1.WIM Zsoka Gaal, 2.GM Elisabeth Paehtz, 3.IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva

The Closing ceremony of the event took place yesterday evening in the playing venue with the attendance of the ECU Vice Presidents Mr. Alojzije Jankovic, Mr. Gunnar Bjornsson and Mr. Jean Michel Rapaire, President of the Serbian Chess Federation Mr. Dragan Lazic, the President of the Touristic Organisation of Vrnjacka Banja Mr. Ivan Trifunovic, ECU Tournament Director Mr. Petr Pisk and other distinguished guests.

All results and rankings can be found here.

Official website of the event

Photo gallery