Novy Bor Chess Club and TAJFUN SK Ljubljana emerged victorious in the 39th European Chess Club Cup and the 28th European Women's Chess Club Cup, respectively. Both competitions, held as 7-round Swiss tournaments, took place in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia, from October 20-26.
Entering the decisive seventh round one point ahead of six teams tied for second, Novy Bor Chess Club faced off against top-seeded SuperChess. The Czech team clinched a crucial victory, thanks to David Anton Guijarro's win over Jorden Van Foreest on board five, while all other games ended in draws. This win secured the title for Novy Bor, who finished the tournament with six wins and one draw.
Alkaloid claimed second place with a dominant 5-1 win over C'Chartres Echecs, while Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club drew with Turkish Airlines, and Sentimento Ajka BSK split points with TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana. Four teams ultimately tied for third, with Vados Chess Club, having defeated Beer Sheva Chess Club in the final round, taking the bronze medal on the strength of superior Olympiad-Sonneborn-Berger tiebreaks.
Final standings:
|
1 |
Novy Bor Chess Club |
13 |
|
2 |
Alkaloid |
12 |
|
3 |
Vados Chess Club |
11 |
|
4 |
Turkish Airlines |
11 |
|
5 |
TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana |
11 |
|
6 |
Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club |
11 |
|
7 |
SuperChess |
10 |
|
8 |
Beer Sheva Chess Club |
10 |
|
9 |
Kavala Chess Club |
10 |
|
10 |
Sentimento Ajka BSK |
10 |
The final round of the women's event saw the clash of leaders TAJFUN SK Ljubljana and the top seed Cercle d'Echecs de Monte Carlo. The Slovenian team captured the title with a 2.5-1.5 victory, courtesy of Olga Badelka's win over Sarasadat Khademalsharieh.
The second seed, Garuda Ajka BSK, trailing the leaders by one point before the final round, swept Gambit Bonnevoie (3.5-0.5) to claim silver, while SuperBet, the only team to defeat the champions, finished in third place.
Final standings:
|
1 |
TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana |
12 |
|
2 |
Garuda Ajka BSK |
11 |
|
3 |
SuperChess Club |
10 |
|
4 |
Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica |
9 |
|
5 |
Crvena zvezda - Data Driven Lab |
8 |
|
6 |
Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo |
8 |
|
7 |
MSK CENTAR |
8 |
|
8 |
Gambit Bonnevoie |
7 |
|
9 |
Rudar Kostolac |
7 |
|
10 |
Schachgesellschaft Solingen A |
7 |
The players achieving the best individual results were also awarded.
Open section:
Board 1: 1.GM Arjun Erigaisi, 2.GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, 3.GM Sanan Sjugirov
Board 2: 1.GM Nodirbek Yakubboev, 2.GM Vincent Keymer, 3.GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov
Board 3: 1.GM Yu Yangyi, 2.GM Amin Tabatabaei, 3.GM Kobo Ori
Board 4: 1.IM Ilinca Felix-Antonio, 2.GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, 3.GM Aravindh Chithambaram
Board 5: 1.GM Volodar Murzin, 2.GM Maxime Lagarde, 3.GM David Anton Guijarro
Board 6: 1.GM Markus Robert, 2.GM Aleksandar Indjic, 3.GM Javokhir Sindarov
Women’s section:
Board 1: 1.GM Nana Dzagnidze, 2.GM Nino Batsiashvili, 3.IM Alina Bivol
Board 2: 1.GM Zhu Jiner, 2.GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, 3.IM Dinara Wagner
Board 3: 1.IM Olga Badelka, 2.IM Leya Garifullina, 3.WFM Anna Zhurova
Board 4: 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.
Photos: European Chess Union
Official website: clubcup2024.com/
