Top players in Spanish league
Many top players are currently playing in the Spanish Team Championship in Sestao, such as Almasi, Bacrot, Caruana, Gashimov, Harikrishna, Kasimdzhanov, Laznicka, Nakamura, Navara, Ponomariov, Shirov, Short Vachier-Lagrave, Vallejo Pons and Van Wely. Only Solvay and Reverté Albox won their first two matches.The two Jans, Gustafsson and Smeets, playing for Escuala I. Kasparov Marcote | Photo © FEDAThe first stage of the 2010 Spanish Team Championship, the División de Honor, takes place August 23-28 in the Polideportivo La Benedicta sports complex in Sestao in Northern Spain. It's a town and municipality of 30,000 inhabitants located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. It is in the left bank of the Estuary of Bilbao and part of Bilbao's metropolitan area.Spain's top ten teams compete over six rounds in this stage. The first four rounds are paired according to the Swiss system and the final two rounds will settle the qualification for the play-offs later this year.
Spanish Team Ch 2010 | Teams & Players
The first round immediately saw two upsets. Linex-Magic, the winners of last year, started with a loss against C.A. Reverté Albox. The first five boards (Shirov-Dreev, Krasenkow-Ponomariov, Sargissian-Mchedlishvili, Matlakov-Cheparinov and Perez Candelario-Ibarra Jerez) ended in a draw and so Galindo Rodriguez Francisco's surprising win against IM Sergio Rocha decided matters.Host club C.A. Sestao Naturgas also went down, against C.A. Solvay. Harikrishna, Negi and Ubilava beat Vachier-Lagrave, Moiseenko and Del Rio De Angelis respectively. Only Sestao's Romero Holmes could do something back, defeating Rodriguez Fontecha.Solvay and Reverté won again in the second round and currently lead. Solvay's Negi also won his second game, against Illescas, and with five draws this decided the match against SCC Sabadell. Reverté defeated Mérida Patrimonio also with 3.5-2.5.Sestao also lost their second match, againt Escuala I. Kasparov Marcote, despite the debut of Hikaru Nakamura. The American, who came straight from Amsterdam after the NH Tournament, lost his first game in Spain against Vugar Gashimov. In fact this match saw the third clash between Caruana and Van Wely in two weeks. In Amsterdam Van Wely won 1.5-0.5 but in Sestao Caruana won.Games rounds 1-2
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Solvay-Sestao with Harikrishna vs Vachier-Lagrave, Ganguly vs Short and Negi vs Moiseenkoon the first three boards
Shirov and Ponomariov playing for reigning champ Linex Magic
The Sabadell club contracted Czech Republic's strongest two players Navara and Laznicka
Bacrot and Kasimdzhanov, boards one and two for Gros X.T.
Photos © FEDA
