ESNA 2025 - Andorra plays in Cyprus before it becomes mainstream
Last month, breaking news about a country and a tournament caught the attention of the entire chess community. Of course, I’m talking about Cyprus and the tournament… the 9th European Small Nations Association (ESNA) Team Championship! Aha, I got you; you thought I was going to talk about Cyprus hosting the 2026 Candidates!
Since the top Grandmasters will be playing in the same country next year, we visited there beforehand to gauge their experience.
Get ready for another one of my tournament summaries, with one big difference: this time, I actually took part in it (which is why it took me longer to publish this blog). And since the games were broadcast, I’ll be sharing a POV experience so you can see how your favourite blogger’s mind works during each game.
Table Contents
Day 1 - Midnight in Cyprus: Rolling the Dice for Round One
Day 2 - Sunlight, Sea Breezes, and Chess Moves
Day 3 - The Pressure Cooker: Two Crucial Battles in One Day
Day 4 - Halfway Through the Maze
Day 5 - The Make-or-Break Day: Facing the Heavy Hitters
Day 7 - Every Half-Point Matters Now
Day 8 - The Final Countdown: One Last Push for Glory
Day 9 - Wrapping Up the Mediterranean Tour
Of course, you already know everything about ESNA from my previous blogs… What’s that? You know everything, but you still want me to explain it again because you love the sound of my voice? Aww, that’s very sweet. Well then—here we go!
Within the broader international chess landscape, the European Small Nations Association forms a vibrant and close-knit community of ten European federations. The idea was born during the 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk Chess Olympiad and officially took shape at the 2014 Olympiad in Tromsø. ESNA—also known as FIDE Zone 1.10 for those who enjoy digging into the FIDE Handbook—serves as a collaborative platform for these smaller federations, fostering camaraderie and creating competitive opportunities without placing additional financial strain on its members. The association brings together Andorra, Cyprus, the Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, and San Marino. ESNA stands as a testament to the unifying power of chess, especially within the intimate world of small nations.
Each year, the highlight is the showdown between the member federations: individual battles in even-numbered years and team clashes in odd-numbered ones. This year, the team championship took place in Cyprus, and you’ll want to stay tuned—next year’s individual championship will unfold in the glamorous setting of Monaco!
With just 10 members, the competition format is straightforward: a 9-round Round-Robin system, following the same rules as the Chess Olympiad. That means:
- Teams consist of 4 players plus 1 reserve.
- Teams consist of 4 players plus 1 reserve.
- Sofia’s rule applies; no draw offers before move 30.
Now that you have all the info you need to follow the tournament, fasten your seatbelts and place your bets on which country will be crowned champion!
Of course, since you’re reading a blog about Andorra, I have to introduce you to the players who will take part in the small nations’ brawl.
Board 1 - GM Oscar de la Riva - The Grandmaster who immediately comes to mind whenever Andorra is mentioned. He has played in all nine editions of the ESNA Team Championship so far!
Board 2 - FM Serni Ribera - The three-time consecutive national champion, despite being only 18 years old, is making his third appearance in the ESNA Team Championship.
Board 3 - FM Daniel Gomez - Competing in his second ESNA tournament, he scored an impressive 7/8 in his debut and was a key player in the Andorra Championship of 2019.
Board 4 - Esteve Mateu - Your favorite blogger makes a return to ESNA after his debut in 2015.
Reserve - Marc Gonzalez - Representing the tricolor nation for the first time!
Day 1 - Midnight in Cyprus: Rolling the Dice for Round One
The tournament officially began on Friday, 14th November, but the Andorran expedition didn’t land in Larnaca (Cyprus) until just after midnight, meaning we missed Day 1. Don’t worry; Day 1 was primarily for arrivals and the technical meeting, which also hosted the tournament draw. For clarity, I’ll refer to Friday as Day 0 and start my day count from Round 1. As for the draw, here are the results:
This meant that Andorra would start by facing San Marino. Since we arrived quite late and the schedule would get tougher with each round, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to give a break to our board 1, Oscar. As a result, I would be playing on board 3 with the black pieces. This is how my game went:
Andorra got off to an excellent start by defeating San Marino 0-4. In the other matches, the Faroe Islands beat Monaco 3.5-0.5, an important clash for both nations’ title aspirations. Malta won 3.5-0.5 against Guernsey, while Liechtenstein narrowly defeated Jersey. The hosts, Cyprus, caused a surprise by drawing against Luxembourg, one of the tournament's favorites.
Day 2 - Sunlight, Sea Breezes, and Chess Moves
Round 2 came just before a double round, in which Andorra would face the highest-rated team, the Faroe Islands. I decided to rest, focusing on Round 3, while Andorra still fielded a strong squad against Cyprus. This is also a great opportunity to talk about the playing venue: the players stayed at the Sun Hall Hotel, which doubled as the tournament hall. Situated right on Larnaca’s beach, it was the perfect place to relax, recharge, and soak up a little summer in November. Fun fact: while my friends were sending me photos of the first snowfalls in Andorra, I was sunbathing with a 30-degree temperature difference!
Let’s talk about Round 2. Liechtenstein continued their good form, edging out Malta 2.5-1.5. Monaco bounced back from their earlier loss by defeating Guernsey 3.5-0.5, while San Marino drew against Jersey. One of the key matches for the title, Luxembourg vs. Faroe Islands, went in favor of the northern team.
And Andorra… we got surprised by the locals! Despite being favorites on paper, we lost 2.5-1.5, and it could have been even worse. On board 1, Oscar managed to grind out a point after taking significant risks. This result meant that Andorra would face the Faroe Islands in the next round with no margin for error.
Day 3 - The Pressure Cooker: Two Crucial Battles in One Day
So here we were, facing the Faroe Islands, who had already defeated two of the favorite teams (Monaco and Luxembourg). With no margin for error (a draw would allow them to pull too far ahead), we needed a win. I was playing on board 4, the only board where we had a rating advantage, so any chance of victory depended on me scoring a point. Here’s how the game went:
An important point from my game, combined with an awesome performance by Serni Ribera on board 2 and a saved draw by Oscar on board 1, allowed us to win a crucial match, leaving the tournament with a much more uncertain outcome. But there wasn’t much time to celebrate, as Round 4 was scheduled just after lunch.
After lunch, it was time to face Guernsey, the nation that hosted my ESNA debut back in 2015. On paper, we were the favorites, but the tiredness from the morning match started to show in my play.
On the other boards, Andorra earned more convincing points, winning 4-0. After this double-header day, it’s time to recap the standings. At this point, Liechtenstein was leading the tournament after three victories and a draw against Monaco, tied with Cyprus, who also had three wins and a draw. We were just behind this group, with the same points as the Faroe Islands.
Day 4 - Halfway Through the Maze
We were at the midpoint of the tournament, right between two double rounds, so it was my last chance to rest before the final sprint. Andorra was set to face Malta, but we also had one eye on tomorrow’s schedule, when we would take on two of the strongest teams in a single day (Monaco and Luxembourg). I helped the team prepare for the match, but I also took the opportunity to enjoy the beach and do some sightseeing.
This time, there were no surprises: Andorra beat Malta 2.5-1.5, and Luxembourg won by the same score against Monaco. The Faroe Islands and Cyprus also won their matches convincingly, defeating San Marino 4-0 and Liechtenstein 3-1, respectively. Meanwhile, the final match was the critical Derby between the Channel Islands, in which Guernsey and Jersey drew 2-2.
Day 5 - The Make-or-Break Day: Facing the Heavy Hitters
After reaching the halfway point of the tournament, we arrived at a critical day for Andorra: a double-round day against two of the strongest teams, rating-wise. The morning match was against Monaco, the only team fielding two Grandmasters. An honorable mention goes to one of them, GM Igor Efimov, who recently competed in the FIDE World Cup as the ESNA 2024 Champion. Given their strength on the top boards, Andorra’s best winning chances seemed to lie on boards 3 and 4. I was on board 3, and this is how my game went:
It was an important win, especially considering that all the other games ended in draws, giving us a narrow but valuable victory over a very strong squad. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time to celebrate. Right after lunch, we faced Luxembourg, and for this match, we lined up what we considered our “strongest” team composition, meaning I would be playing on board 4:
The draw felt a bit bitter, as I couldn’t deliver an advantage for the team despite having the white pieces. Fortunately, strong performances by Óscar de la Riva and Serni Ribera on boards 1 and 2 secured yet another narrow win. We achieved the best outcome we could have hoped for on what looked like an extremely challenging day, and so, that night, we definitely had to go out for some celebratory drinks!
With two rounds left, Andorra and the Faroe Islands were leading the tournament, followed closely by the revelation of this edition, Cyprus, just one point behind. (Remember: in team tournaments, a match win is worth 2 points and a draw is 1.) The Faroe Islands had better tie-breaks (board points), but there was still room for chess drama; the tournament still had plenty of excitement ahead!
After so much action, we finally got our well-deserved rest day. It was a great chance to recharge and, for those who still hadn’t had enough chess, prepare for the ESNA Blitz Individual Tournament, scheduled for the evening. Before getting back to the boards, let me tell you how the teams made the most of this opportunity to enjoy Cyprus. The organizers arranged a trip to Lefkara, one of Cyprus’s historic centers. We couldn’t join, but it certainly looked like everyone who went had a wonderful time.
We opted for a more summery plan; after all, the beach was right in front of our hotel, and the November weather felt like an Andorran summer. Perfect conditions to test our skills in a different sport.
Afterwards, we enjoyed a well-deserved lunch, enough to fuel us for the evening blitz event. This is a good moment to mention how much we loved Cypriot cuisine: anywhere we ordered fish, it was spectacular. And for those who aren’t fish-lovers, there were plenty of Italian restaurants that genuinely surprised me with their quality and price.
That evening, the ESNA Individual Blitz Tournament took place. Some players from the team championship didn’t participate, but since the event was open to anyone holding a FIDE flag from an ESNA country, it was a great opportunity for local players to join. In total, 34 players competed; 18 of them were titled.
The tournament was a real rollercoaster of chess drama. With two rounds to go, Serni Ribera was leading alone, giving him excellent chances to take the title. However, fate was not on his side, and he suffered two consecutive losses.
At the end of the tournament, four players tied for first place with 6.5 points, including your favourite blogger! Fourth place went to IM Høgni Egilstoft Nielsen, who had the lowest Buchholz. The top three players had exactly the same Buchholz and Buchholz Cut-2 scores, so the third tiebreak, Sonneborn-Berger, was needed. That one didn’t fall in my favour, leaving me in 3rd place; still an awesome result!
But the extra layer of drama came at the very top: CM Rafail Antoniou and FM Alexandros Isaakidis had identical Sonneborn-Berger scores, meaning they tied on every tiebreak used in the event. What are the chances?! In a great display of sportsmanship, both players agreed to settle it with a playoff match.
The tiebreak match was intense and required several games to reach a decision, but in the end, CM Rafail Antoniou emerged victorious and was crowned the ESNA Blitz Champion!
Day 7 - Every Half-Point Matters Now
Now comes that moment in the league when you’re playing your own games while keeping an eye on the other teams, hoping they drop some points while you try to avoid any surprises yourself. In our case, we were facing Liechtenstein, a team that had shown a strong performance earlier in the event and was even leading the tournament at one point. Because of that, and considering how important tiebreaks have become, we once again fielded our “main” squad. I was on board 4, and this is my game:
Not my best performance, especially because I missed a few tactics, but it got the job done. The rest of my team played much better, and we secured a 4–0 win, aiming to boost our tiebreak.
The Faroe Islands replied with the same result against Guernsey, guaranteeing a superior tiebreak regardless of the final round. Monaco and Luxembourg also won 4–0 against Jersey and San Marino, respectively, while the last match was the Mediterranean island derby, which went to the local team, Cyprus, beating Malta 2.5–1.5.
Therefore, the top standings did not change: the Faroe Islands remained in the lead, tied with Andorra, while Cyprus was just one point behind. How will the tournament conclude? Will the Faroes finish the job and take the title? Will Andorra capitalize on a Faroese slip? Or will the home team pull off a double surprise with a last-minute sorpasso?
Day 8 - The Final Countdown: One Last Push for Glory
Before the chess action began, the ESNA meeting took place in the morning. This is a scheduled gathering during the ESNA Team Tournament (and the Olympiad as well), where federations discuss strategy, chess initiatives, organization of future editions, and share experiences, thoughts, and feedback.
The meeting was also honored by the presence of the General Secretary of the European Chess Union (ECU), Mr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou, who brought a surprise. The ECU announced that, in partnership with Sense Robot Chess, 10 Sense Robots would be donated to the European Small Nations chess federations. Each federation received one Sense Robot to support their training programs and promote chess activities.
Now, let’s get to the board. Andorra was about to face Jersey while keeping a close eye on the Faroe Islands–Malta match and also on Cyprus–Monaco, in case of an Andorran slip. As GM Oscar de la Riva attended the ESNA meeting, he rested for this round, which meant I played on board 3. Let’s dive into the game:
I had already hinted in our analysis that we had done our homework, and the final result confirmed it: 3.5–0.5 in our favor. And what about the Faroe Islands? They replicated the same result against Malta, a solid performance that secured their well-deserved crown, leaving Andorra in second place and a sense of pride for our excellent tournament. Cyprus completed the podium with a narrow victory over Monaco, their best result so far in an ESNA tournament. Given the youth and potential of their team, they are clear candidates for future editions.
Immediately after the round, the closing ceremony took place, featuring a dinner for all tournament players and the awards presentation. ECU representatives attended, as did Freedom24, the main sponsor of Cyprus chess and a key factor in their growth and development. We also enjoyed some traditional dances, providing a delightful and fitting conclusion to the tournament.
Day 9 - Wrapping Up the Mediterranean Tour
Our last day in Cyprus was the usual departure day: we spent the morning packing our things and enjoying the final taste of summer that Larnaca offered us. The only real challenge was figuring out how to board our newest “player,” the Sense Robot.
Let’s use this moment to wrap up the tournament. From an Andorran point of view, it was an excellent experience. We delivered a strong performance and came very close to winning the championship. We left the island very satisfied. Honorable mention to Serni Ribera, who played all rounds with an astonishing 8 points out of 9 and also had the chance to become blitz champion!
From a personal perspective, although I didn’t always play great chess, I still achieved a strong performance. There are many areas I need to improve, but the journey is always more enjoyable when the results start going your way. I should also admit that I was extremely lucky to have so many games with the white pieces!
From an organizational standpoint, the Cyprus Chess Federation did an excellent job. In 2026, they will face the biggest challenge in their history: hosting a Candidates' Tournament. If they handle it with the same competence they showed in managing the 9th ESNA Team Tournament, I’m convinced it will be a great success; perhaps even a historic event that the players will remember fondly. I hope you recall these words next March while following the Candidates!
