Euro Teams: Serbia grab sole lead, Ukraine close behind

Open: Serbia’s Indjic on 3 out of 3

Defending champions Serbia stand alone at the top of the table after four rounds, having won all their matches so far – each by the narrowest 2½–1½ margin. On Wednesday, they defeated Greece in the clash of the two overnight leaders, who had both entered the round with 6 match points.

Early in the match, Serbia appeared dominant, holding better positions on three boards. However, a sudden turn of events occurred on the top board, where Serbia’s Alexandr Predke, playing black against Nikolas Theodorou, squandered a clear advantage with two consecutive inaccuracies. First, he faltered with 27…Nd2

The position is winning for Black, who can keep his clear edge with, for example, 27…Qxa3 or 27…Nf2+. The text move, on its part, allows 28.Nf6+, when 28…gxf6 29.Qxf6 gxe6 30.Qg6+ leads to a perpetual check.

Predke did not adjust to the new situation, though, and erred yet again with 28…Kh8 – still going for the win – giving White the opportunity to play 29.Qf5 g6 30.Qe5

White is now winning. Resignation came after 30…Nf3 31.Qxe3

Fortunately for the Serbian squad, Aleksandar Indjic and Velimir Ivic converted their respective advantages to secure the match victory.

Indjic has been the driving force for the champions, winning three consecutive games after sitting out the opening round. The 2024 European individual champion has so far defeated Dominik Horvath (Austria), Maxime Lagarde (France) and Ioannis Papaioannou (Greece).

Greece v. Serbia

The encounter between the Netherlands and Azerbaijan ended in a 2-2 draw after all four games were drawn, despite both Anish Giri and Jorden van Foreest from the Netherlands obtaining promising positions in the endgame.

Meanwhile, Ukraine joined the top chase with a key victory over top seeds Germany, who suffered their second defeat in Batumi. The match was decided on board two, where Andrei Volokitin beat Matthias Bluebaum in only 25 moves. The German grandmaster, who recently qualified for the 2026 Candidates, had achieved a strong position and a large time advantage, but a pair of tactical oversights allowed Volokitin to strike decisively (see analysis below). With this result, Ukraine climbed to sole second place on 7 match points.

Seven teams now share third place with 6 points: Greece, the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, England, Spain, France and Slovenia

In a total of 6 chapters, we look at the following aspects: the right decision based on tactical factors, decisions in exchanges and moves, complex and psychological decisions in longer games and in defence.

Ukraine v. Germany

Bluebaum 0-1 Volokitin

Analysis by Johannes Fischer

Standings after round 4

…40 teams

All games

Women’s: Poland and Germany still perfect

In the women’s championship, Poland and Germany remain tied at the top with perfect 8/8 scores. Both sides continued their strong form in round four, extending their winning streaks in impressive fashion. Poland overcame defending champions Bulgaria, while Germany achieved their second consecutive upset by beating Azerbaijan, following their win over top seeds Georgia in round three.

The Polish team followed a clear pattern for the second day running, winning both games with the white pieces. Alina Kashlinskaya and Oliwia Kiolbasa scored wins against their Bulgarian opponents, compensating for Klaudia Kulon’s loss to Nadya Tonchevka on board four.

From Mating with a queen; a rook; two bishops; a knight and a bishop; to the basics of pawn endgames – here you will gain the necessary know-how to turn your endgame advantages into victories!

Poland v. Bulgaria

Germany’s decisive point came from Kateryna Dolzhykova, who capitalised on a single error by Gulnar Mammadova in an otherwise balanced rook endgame. Also, Hanna Marie Klek – the hero of the previous round – managed to escape with a draw from an inferior position while playing black against Khanim Balajayeva, ensuring Germany’s narrow win.

Four teams are now tied for third place on 6/8 match points: Bulgaria, Georgia, Ukraine and France. Georgia recovered from their earlier loss to Germany with a commanding 3½-½ victory over Hungary.

Germany v. Azerbaijan

Mammadova 0-1 Dolzhykova

Analysis by Johannes Fischer

Standings after round 4

The King‘s Indian Attack is a universal opening: easy to learn, flexible, and rich in both tactical and positional opportunities.

…36 teams

All games

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