U.S. Wins World Senior Team Championship 50+, England Takes Gold In 65+
The FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championships concluded on July 11 in Krakow, Poland with the U.S. finishing at the top of the 50+ section and England claiming the 65+ tournament. In total, 65 teams and 307 players, including 32 grandmasters, participated.
The FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championships 2024 has officially concluded!
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 12, 2024
Congratulations to the winners 🏆
🥇 50+ : USA 🇺🇸
🥇 50+ Women: Estonia 🇪🇪
🥇 65+ : England 1 🏴
🥇 65+ Women: Latvia 🇱🇻
ℹ️ The FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championships (50+ & 65+) took place in… pic.twitter.com/nwXNAM2Csv
Teams consisted of four players, and Women's teams competed together with the Open tournaments. Each event was a nine-round Swiss, with 90 minutes for 40 moves, with 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment per move.
Seniors 50+
The U.S. team consisted of GMs Jaan Ehlvest, Alexander Shabalov, Melikset Khachiyan, Igor Novikov, and Alex Yermolinsky. The same players, with the exception of Khachiyan replacing GM Gregory Kaidanov, were repeat winners from last year's tournament in North Macedonia.
Top 10 Teams | 50+ Seniors
| Rk. | SNo | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 |
| 1 | 1 | USA | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| 2 | 4 | Italy | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| 3 | 2 | England 1 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 4 | 3 | Iceland | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| 5 | 7 | England 2 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| 6 | 6 | Slovakia | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 7 | 5 | USA Too | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 8 | 17 | Brazil | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 9 | 21 | Estonia Women (W) | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 10 | 9 | Israel Rishon Lezion | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
The U.S. suffered its only loss against Iceland but ultimately won every other round. They took the sole lead after round seven and held onto it.
Round eight was their most dominant, with a 4-0 clean sweep against Israel. On the top board, Ehlvest demolished GM Michael Oratovsky's Sicilian Defense in 20 moves with a pretty finish:
There were six Women's teams, and Estonia outpaced the U.S. team by a half-point. The players were WIM Monika Tsiganova, WFM Regina Narva, WGM Tatyana Fomina, and Kersti Korge. Board-one Tsiganova scored a respectable 6/9, being the underdog in every individual matchup; with a rating of 1999, she had a performance of 2347 and gained 78 rating points.
Her biggest upset was in the last round against FM Karsten Schuster. She unleashed a great attack against the Caro-Kann in that game:
Seniors 65+
England won gold in the 65+ section, led by GMs John Nunn, Anthony Kosten, Jonathan Mestel, IM Paul Littlewood, and FM Terry Chapman.
Top 10 Teams | 65+ Seniors
| Rk. | SNo | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 |
| 1 | 1 | England 1 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | 2 | Israel 1 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| 3 | 3 | France Cercle d'Echecs de Strasbourg | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 4 | 7 | England 2 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| 5 | 5 | Italy | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| 6 | 4 | Slovakia | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 7 | 10 | Germany Eppingen | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 8 | 9 | Germany Schachfreunde Mitteldeutschland | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| 9 | 29 | England 3 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 10 | 8 | Finland | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
(See full standings here.)
It was more than a team victory for England, as legendary GMs Michael Adams and Nunn—who are the reigning individual senior world champions for 50+ and 65+— won individual gold in their respective categories.
Congratulations to England's John Nunn and Michael Adams on winning individual gold in the 65+ and 50+ World Senior Championships in Krakow — Nunn also claimed team gold! https://t.co/qG0y1qLDHR pic.twitter.com/PmjrFWiVWz
— chess24 (@chess24com) July 11, 2024
England went undefeated, scoring seven victories and two draws. With the exception of round six, when France momentarily took the sole lead, England was always at least tied for first.
Nunn put up a 15-move miniature in the final round against Finland's IM Timothy Binham, with an elegant "sacrifice" on the final move.
Speaking of miniatures, Adams' 19-move win against GM Johan Hjartarson should be mentioned, although it was in the +50 group—another fine showing for England.
Latvia won Women's gold out of three competing teams (Poland and the U.S.), with +2 -3 =4. The players were WGM Tamara Vilerte, Astra Goldmane, WFM Liga Ungure, WFM Ingrida Priedite, and Vija Rozlapa.
The World Senior Chess Championships, for individuals, will take place in November in Porto Santo, Portugal. And even more presently, the U.S. Senior Championship begins in St. Louis next week, on July 16 through 26.
Highlights from the closing ceremony of the FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championships 2024! #SeniorChess #WSTCC pic.twitter.com/MclxOJOKG8
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 12, 2024
The 2024 FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championships took place in Krakow, Poland on July 2-11. There were 50+ and 65+ categories, with Women's teams competing together with the Open teams. Each event was a nine-round Swiss, with teams of four players. The time control is 90 minutes for 40 moves, with 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment per move.
NM Anthony Levin caught the chess bug at the "late" age of 18 and never turned back. He earned his national master title in 2021, actually the night before his first day of work at Chess.com.
Anthony, who also earned his Master's in teaching English in 2018, taught English and chess in New York schools for five years and strives to make chess content accessible and enjoyable for people of all ages. At Chess.com, he writes news articles and manages social media for chess24.
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