Two crucial match victories
The fifth round of the European Club Cup in Batumi brought clarity to the race for first place in the open section, as the two top matches both ended decisively.
Alkaloid defeated Novy Bor, while SuperChess overcame Bayegan Pendik, with both encounters finishing by identical 4–2 scores. As a result, Alkaloid and SuperChess – seeded second and fourth respectively – remain the only teams with perfect 10/10 match points and will meet in Friday’s penultimate round in what could prove a decisive clash for the title.
Alkaloid’s victory over defending champions Novy Bor came thanks to wins by Arjun Erigaisi and Yu Yangyi. On the top board, Erigaisi defeated Vincent Keymer in a 32-move encounter in which the German star failed early on, while Yu prevailed over Pentala Harikrishna in a sharp middlegame where activity and calculation played key roles. The remaining four games in the match were drawn, allowing Alkaloid to preserve their spotless record. Among the team’s top performers so far are Aravindh Chithambaram and Abhimanyu Puranik, who have both exceeded expectations on the lower boards.
SuperChess kept pace by defeating top seeds Bayegan Pendik, also by 4–2. Parham Maghsoodloo got the better of Richard Rapport in a lengthy battle on board three, while Daniel Dardha defeated Volodar Murzin in a struggle between rising stars. The other games were drawn. Both Maghsoodloo and Dardha have been in excellent form throughout the event, emerging as SuperChess’ most reliable point scorers.
Standing one match point behind the co-leaders are Turkish Airlines and Tuxera Aquaprofit Nagykanizsai, who will meet in round six in another key encounter.
SuperChess’ Parham Maghsoodloo from Iran has a perfect 4/4 score so far in the event | Photo: Mark Livshitz
Murzin 0-1 Dardha
Analysis by GM Karsten Müller
In the women’s section, top seeds Cercle d’Echecs Monte Carlo continued their dominance, remaining the only team with a perfect score. On Thursday, they edged out Crvena Zvezda by 2½–1½, with wins for Divya Deshmukh and Alexandra Kosteniuk. The margin might have been wider, as Elisabeth Paehtz was winning for most of her game against Jovana Srdanovic.
Playing black, Paehtz reached a favourable bishop-versus-knight ending with an extra pawn, but on move 57 she faltered with 57…h4, when a number of bishop manoeuvres like 57…Bc2 or 57…Bf5 were clearly winning.
The slip allowed White a stunning tactical turnaround: 58.d7 Ke7 59.Nf7, which was followed by Paehtz’s resignation.
The problem for Black is that 59…Kxd7 would lose instantly to 60.Nxe5+ with a fork. Srdanovic’s precise play turned the tables and earned her team their only point of the match.
Despite that missed opportunity, Monte Carlo remain the clear leaders, two match points ahead of Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica, who defeated defending champions Tajfun SK Ljubljana by an emphatic 3½–½ in round five. The Serbian team are the only remaining pursuers within reach, though Monte Carlo have already beaten them in round four.
The Monegasque squad will now face SuperChess (led by Nino Batsiashvili and Dinara Wagner), currently in sole third place, in the penultimate round.
Monte Carlo’s Alexandra Kosteniuk | Photo: Mark Livshitz
- Full technical information on Chess-Results: Open | Women’s
- All available games on Live.ChessBase.com: Open | Women’s
Standings after round 5 – Open
| 1 | SuperChess | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 134 | |
| 2 | Alkaloid | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 132 | |
| 3 | Turkish Airlines sports club | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 124 | |
| 4 | Tuxera Aquaprofit Nagykanizsai Sakk Klub | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 117,5 | |
| 5 | Novy Bor | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 117 | |
| 6 | Kfar Saba | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 111 | |
| 7 | Vugar Gashimov | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 107,5 | |
| 8 | Rishon Le Zion #1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 99 | |
| 9 | Schachfreunde Berlin 1903 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 98 | |
| 10 | SG Riehen | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 97,5 | |
| 11 | Beer Sheva | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 94 | |
| 12 | Sigil Fund Pardubice | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 89 | |
| 13 | SV Werder Bremen | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 70 | |
| 14 | Bayegan Pendik chess sports club | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 125 | |
| 15 | Kavala | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 91,5 |
Games – Open
Standings after round 5 – Women’s
| 1 | Cercle d’échecs de Monte-Carlo | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 82 | |
| 2 | Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 57 | |
| 3 | SuperChess | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 58 | |
| 4 | Tajfun SK Ljubljana | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 61 | |
| 5 | Crvena Zvezda | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 59,5 | |
| 6 | CE Gambit Bonnevoie | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 47 | |
| 7 | She plays to win Lionesses #1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 38 | |
| 8 | SK Zmaj | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 37 | |
| 9 | De Stukkenjagers | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 22,5 | |
| 10 | Turkish Airlines sports club | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 50 | |
| 11 | MSK Centar ASEE | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 40 | |
| 12 | C’Chartres échecs | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 37 | |
| 13 | Aris Thessalonikis | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 22 | |
| 14 | Streatham & Brixton | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 21 | |
| 15 | Wasa SK | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 18 |
