Novy Bor Wins European Club Cup
They did it! After beating the mighty SOCAR team on Friday, Novy Bor convincingly set aside Minsk 4.5-1.5 in the last round to become the surprising winners of the 29th European Club Cup in Rhodes, Greece. Malachite of Russia won the silver medals and SOCAR took bronze on tiebreak. In the women's section Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo won all their matches and finished four match point ahead of Ugra. SHSM Nashe Nasledie edged out Mika Chess Club for bronze.
Photos © Goran Urosevic & Anastasiya Karlovich courtesy of the ECC
They were the fifth seeded team, but the strongest over seven rounds in Rhodes. Novy Bor (Navara, Wojtaszek, Laznicka, Sasikiran, Hracek, Bartel and Cvek, who only played the first round) beat Chess Club Velhot 4.5-1.5, S.F. Wirtzfeld 4.51.5 and then PGMB-Rostov 4-2. In round 4 the Czech/Polish team tied 3-3 with the strong Russian team of Malachite (Grischuk, Karjakin, Morozevich, Shirov, Malakhov, Riazantsev - Motylev and Bologan didn't play in that round). Another 4.5-1.5 victory followed, against SK 47 Eynatten, and then that amazing win over SOCAR.
In the last round there was no doubt that Novy Bor would finish the job and clinch gold. Three games ended in draws, but boards three, four and five were all won.
Malachite was the only other team that remained unbeaten. Besides their match against the winners, the Russians also drew with Odlar Yurdu, another team of Azerbaijan, where six draws against six lower rated opponents was a disappointing result. Kirill Stupak "won" both of Laznicka's bishops, but then his king got under fire:
Sasikiran won a technical game against Vitaly Teterov where it seems that Black was in Zugzwang after 77.Kd2:
SOCAR's surprising loss on Friday was followed by another disappointment: their 3-3 against St Petersburg (six draws) allowed Malachite to take over the second place and win the silver medals.
The top board in SOCAR-St Peterburg was an interesting fight at the highest level in a Taimanov Sicilian:
On board one of PGMB-Rostov-Malachite, which ended 2-4, Alexander Grischuk outplayed Baadur Jobava in what became a g3-King's Indian with reversed colors. The Georgian GM seems to be avoiding theory in almost every white game now!
Karjakin beat Cheparinov from a 3.Bb5+ Sicilian. At the end we see a pawn ending (not very common at this level) where White's outside passed pawn made the difference.
Except for PGMB-Rostov's Dmitry Kryakvin, who played just four games (and won them all), Novy Bor's Radek Wojtaszek scored the highest TPR in Rhodes: 5.0/6 and a 2876 performance.
Radek Wojtaszek
Alexander Grischuk came close with 2869 and the Russian GM is now 5th in the live rankings, just behind Hikaru Nakamura, whose 4.0/6 (a 2744 performance) was slightly below his rating.
Alexander Grischuk
Let's finish this report with the news that IM Manuel Bosboom scored a 7-game GM norm in Rhodes. The 50-year-old IM already has one norm which he scored somewhere in the 1990s, and it's hard to believe that he'll ever pass 2500 (which he never managed; he's 2390 at the moment) but it's a nice result anyway. Here's one of his wins:
Manuel Bosboom
European Club Cup 2013 | Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | FED | Team | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 |
| 1 | 5 | CZE | G-Team Novy Bor | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 236 | 28,5 | 181 | 165 |
| 2 | 2 | RUS | Malachite | 5 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 211 | 32 | 152 | 125 |
| 3 | 1 | AZE | SOCAR | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 244 | 29 | 180 | 137 |
| 4 | 9 | FRA | Clichy Echecs 92 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 206 | 29 | 168,5 | 126,75 |
| 5 | 3 | RUS | Saint-Petersburg | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 199,5 | 29 | 166 | 123 |
| 6 | 4 | RUS | Ugra | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 204 | 28,5 | 175 | 118 |
| 7 | 6 | RUS | PGMB-Rostov | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 195,5 | 28 | 168,5 | 108 |
| 8 | 10 | BLR | Minsk | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 187 | 27,5 | 150,5 | 96,5 |
| 9 | 17 | SUI | Reichenstein SSB | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 174,5 | 29 | 134,5 | 84 |
| 10 | 7 | ITA | O.R. Padova | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 168 | 23,5 | 183 | 125 |
| 11 | 12 | BEL | Amay Chess Club | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 155,5 | 24 | 156,5 | 92,5 |
| 12 | 24 | SWE | Limhamns SK | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 138 | 21,5 | 171 | 100,5 |
| 13 | 19 | ITA | A.S.I. Bologna | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 133 | 23 | 145 | 83,75 |
| 14 | 8 | AZE | Odlar Yurdu | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 185,5 | 25,5 | 177,5 | 89,5 |
| 15 | 25 | NOR | Asker | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 156 | 28 | 128 | 62,5 |
| 16 | 11 | GRE | Peristeri | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 153,5 | 25,5 | 150,5 | 76 |
| 17 | 20 | TUR | Besiktas JK | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 133,5 | 26 | 129,5 | 61 |
| 18 | 15 | BEL | S.F. Wirtzfeld | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 126,5 | 21 | 143 | 82,5 |
| 19 | 16 | HUN | Haladas VSE, Szombathely | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 126 | 25 | 122 | 66,75 |
| 20 | 14 | BEL | SK 47 Eynatten | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 124 | 22,5 | 131 | 70 |
| 21 | 18 | ISR | Kfar Saba Chess Club | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 114,5 | 21 | 166 | 85 |
| 22 | 21 | NED | En Passant | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 140,5 | 22 | 157 | 67 |
| 23 | 33 | GER | Schachgesellschaft Solingen | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 113,5 | 24,5 | 121 | 54,25 |
| 24 | 13 | AUT | Schachclub MPO Maria Saal | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 113,5 | 19,5 | 164,5 | 72,5 |
| 25 | 32 | NED | Accres Apeldoorn | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 113,5 | 18,5 | 173 | 82 |
| 26 | 23 | DEN | Jetsmark | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 102,5 | 23,5 | 116 | 51 |
| 27 | 27 | NOR | Oslo Schakselskap | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 101,5 | 20 | 144 | 62 |
| 28 | 29 | ENG | Barbican 4NCL | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 97,5 | 16 | 176,5 | 79,25 |
| 29 | 30 | ISL | Viking Chess Club | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 91 | 20,5 | 124,5 | 55,5 |
| 30 | 36 | ENG | White Rose | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 86 | 18,5 | 158,5 | 66,75 |
| 31 | 38 | LUX | The Smashing Pawns Belvaux | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 104,5 | 21,5 | 122,5 | 43 |
| 32 | 22 | SUI | Club d'Echecs de Geneve | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 99,5 | 18 | 152,5 | 57,5 |
| 33 | 43 | SCO | Edinburgh Chess Club | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 94 | 18 | 144,5 | 51,5 |
| 34 | 28 | ENG | Jutes of Kent | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 92 | 19 | 161 | 61 |
| 35 | 39 | LUX | CE De Sprenger Echternach | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 89,5 | 20 | 119 | 45,25 |
| 36 | 37 | ECX | Expik Kosova | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 87,5 | 19 | 134 | 53 |
| 37 | 35 | AUT | SK Advisory Invest Baden | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 82 | 16,5 | 155,5 | 52,5 |
| 38 | 26 | FIN | Tammer-Shakki | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 79 | 16 | 166 | 59 |
| 39 | 34 | FRA | Sautron | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 66 | 15,5 | 159 | 60 |
| 40 | 31 | FIN | Chess Club Velhot | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 105 | 21 | 127 | 33 |
| 41 | 41 | MNC | Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 70,5 | 16,5 | 134 | 44,5 |
| 42 | 44 | NED | SV Voerendaal / KNSB | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 68,5 | 19 | 121 | 38,75 |
| 43 | 47 | ECX | Istogu Chess Club | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 60,5 | 14 | 144 | 42,75 |
| 44 | 46 | IRL | Gonzaga | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 56,5 | 17,5 | 111,5 | 23 |
| 45 | 52 | WLS | Cardigan | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 43 | 13 | 112,5 | 26 |
| 46 | 48 | IRL | Adare | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 82,5 | 16 | 131,5 | 39,5 |
| 47 | 45 | SCO | Edinburgh West Chess Club | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 73,5 | 15,5 | 125 | 31,5 |
| 48 | 42 | GER | Chess Club Eppingen | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 64 | 16,5 | 127 | 29,5 |
| 49 | 49 | GER | SV Muelheim Nord 1931 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 50,5 | 15 | 107 | 11 |
| 50 | 50 | WLS | White Knights Chess Club | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 50 | 15,5 | 98,5 | 11 |
| 51 | 51 | ALB | Klubi Sportiv Butrinti | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 46,5 | 12 | 132,5 | 15,5 |
| 52 | 40 | DEN | Nordea Skanderborg | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 83 | 14 | 164 | 22,5 |
| 53 | 53 | GRE | Ippotis Rodou | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 60 | 11 | 101,5 | 0 |
You could almost say that Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo was "cheating" in Rhodes. They played this tournament with the world's number 2, 3, 5, 10 and 38 (Hou, Koneru, A.Muzychuk, Cramling and Skripchenko) and did what was expected: they won all their matches. In the final round another 4-0 sweep against Fischer Chieti got them to 23.5 out of a possible 28 board points!
This tournament was not about who would win gold, but about who would win silver. That was Ugra, who played with Ushenina, Pogonina, Kovanova, Romanko and Shadrina. SHSM Nashe Nasledie (Kosteniuk, Gunina, Kovalevskaya, Girya and Savina) won bronze after tying for third place with Mika Chess Club (Harika, Mkrtchian, Danielian and Javakhishvili).
European Club Cup 2013 | Women | Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | FED | Team | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 |
| 1 | 1 | MNC | Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 154,5 | 23,5 | 104 | 104 |
| 2 | 5 | RUS | Ugra | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 89,5 | 16 | 109,5 | 70,5 |
| 3 | 2 | RUS | SHSM Nashe Nasledie | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 108 | 19 | 98 | 50,5 |
| 4 | 3 | ARM | Mika Chess Club | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 104 | 15,5 | 97,5 | 58 |
| 5 | 4 | ROU | CS Politechnica-Antibiotice Iasi | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 101,5 | 17 | 107 | 42,5 |
| 6 | 8 | LTU | MRU - Vilniaus Fortas | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 56 | 14 | 73 | 22 |
| 7 | 7 | SRB | Jelica PEP | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 72,5 | 15 | 79 | 21 |
| 8 | 6 | SRB | Chess Club BAS | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 67,5 | 12 | 92 | 26 |
| 9 | 9 | ITA | Fischer Chieti | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 31 | 10,5 | 85 | 11,5 |
| 10 | 10 | BIH | Rudar Prijedor | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 24,5 | 7,5 | 76,5 | 4 |
| 11 | 11 | AUT | ASVOE Pamhagen | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 23 | 4 | 78 | 0 |
