Big names, big results
After four rounds of play at the European Club Cup in Batumi, three of the four highest-rated teams in the open section have maintained perfect records. Alkaloid (second seeds), defending champions Novy Bor (third seeds) and SuperChess (fourth seeds) all stand on 8 match points, establishing themselves as the favourites with only three rounds remaining.
Five teams are one match point behind, including top seeds Bayegan Pendik and fifth seeds Tuxera Aquaprofit Nagykanizsai.
The biggest surprise among the frontrunners is the presence of the 27th-seeded Limhamns team from Sweden, who have quietly built an impressive campaign. Led by Linus Johansson and Christian Jepson, both IMs, the Swedish side pulled off one of the upsets of the tournament so far by defeating 16th seeds MTK Budapest in round four.
The fifth round promises two key matches at the top of the table. Alkaloid will face Novy Bor in what could be a decisive encounter for the title race, with a potential top-board meeting between Arjun Erigaisi and Vincent Keymer. At the same time, SuperChess will meet Bayegan Pendik, with another high-profile clash likely between Gukesh Dommaraju and Anish Giri.
Among the leading players who have made their way to Batumi, several individual performances have stood out. Vincent Keymer has scored three wins in as many games, including a notable victory over Boris Gelfand on Wednesday. Richard Rapport, representing Bayegan Pendik, also has a perfect 3/3 score, a run that has lifted him to world number 14 in the live ratings list. Meanwhile, Aravindh Chithambaram has impressed for Alkaloid with 4/4 on board four, contributing significantly to his team’s perfect start.
Reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju is representing SuperChess and has won both his games so far in the event | Photo: Mark Livshitz
Keymer 1-0 Gelfand
Analysis by André Schulz
In the women’s section, where the field is smaller with 20 teams, the top seeds Cercle d’Echecs Monte Carlo have taken the sole lead as the only team with a perfect 8/8 record. The Monégasque squad have yet to drop an individual game, with standout performances from Divya Deshmukh on board two (3/4, including a 22-move win over Leya Garifullina in round four) and Alina Kashlinskaya on board four (3½/4, with a performance rating of 2654).
Three teams trail the leaders by two match points: defending champions Tajfun SK Ljubljana, and the Serbian squads Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica and Crvena Zvezda. The next round will feature crucial pairings, with Monte Carlo facing Crvena Zvezda and Tajfun SK Ljubljana taking on Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica.
Divya Deshmukh | Photo: Mark Livshitz
Divya 1-0 Garifullina
- Full technical information on Chess-Results: Open | Women’s
- All available games on Live.ChessBase.com: Open | Women’s
Standings after round 4 – Open
| 1 | Alkaloid | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 84 | |
| 2 | SuperChess | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 81 | |
| 3 | Novy Bor | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 78 | |
| 4 | Bayegan Pendik chess sports club | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 87 | |
| 5 | Turkish Airlines sports club | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 67,5 | |
| 6 | Tuxera Aquaprofit Nagykanizsai Sakk Klub | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 61,5 | |
| 7 | Limhamns SK | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 48 | |
| 8 | CE Nyon | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 45,5 | |
| 9 | Rishon Le Zion #1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 66 | |
| 10 | Kfar Saba | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 61 | |
| 11 | Beer Sheva | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 61 | |
| 12 | Vugar Gashimov | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 58 | |
| 13 | MTK Budapest | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 56,5 | |
| 14 | SG Riehen | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 56 | |
| 15 | Sigil Fund Pardubice | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 52 |
Games – Open
Standings after round 4 – Women’s
| 1 | Cercle d’échecs de Monte-Carlo | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 50 | |
| 2 | Tajfun SK Ljubljana | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 54 | |
| 3 | Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 36 | |
| 4 | Crvena Zvezda | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 32,5 | |
| 5 | De Stukkenjagers | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 17,5 | |
| 6 | Turkish Airlines sports club | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 31 | |
| 7 | SuperChess | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 28 | |
| 8 | CE Gambit Bonnevoie | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 24,5 | |
| 9 | She plays to win Lionesses #1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 22 | |
| 10 | SK Zmaj | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 16 | |
| 11 | Wasa SK | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 15 | |
| 12 | Streatham & Brixton | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |
| 13 | ISL Federation | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | |
| 14 | C’Chartres échecs | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 24 | |
| 15 | MSK Centar ASEE | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 22 |
