Three Teams Tied on 11 Points in the Open Before the Final Round

After round six of the European Club Cup in Budva, three teams share the lead in both sections going into Friday’s final round. In the open, defending champions SuperChess Romania and Novy Bor drew 3-3, and top seeds Bayegan Pendik caught them with a 3½-2½ win over Tuxera Aquaprofit Nagykanizsai.

All three sit on 11/12 match points. Four clubs follow on 10, so medals are still open to several teams. This was the match the 10/10 showdown had promised.

Open: four decisive games at the top

On top board, Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat his namesake and Uzbekistan teammate Nodirbek Yakubboev. Chess.com quotes Abdusattorov calling it “annoying” to face a friend, with sharp home preparation starting at 11.g4 and a final mistake he managed to punish.

Nihal Sarin answered for Novy Bor by beating Jorden van Foreest on board two. Bogdan-Daniel Deac then put SuperChess ahead by defeating Nils Grandelius.

David Navara levelled it by beating Daniel Dardha on board six. Dardha had won all five of his earlier games in Budva. The other two games were drawn.

Pendik survive a top-board loss

Bayegan Pendik lost on board one, where Pranesh M beat Anish Giri. It was Giri’s second loss in four appearances at the event.

Amin Tabatabaei beat Andrei Volokitin, and Volodar Murzin beat Maksim Chigaev. That was enough for the match. Pendik had already shown they can recover from a top-board loss earlier in the event.

Elektroprivreda, the sixth seeds, drew 3-3 with second seeds Alkaloid and stay one point back on 10/12. They are joined there by Rishon LeZion A, Marseille Echecs and Cheddleton Savills Caterling.

What the last round holds

Bayegan Pendik meet SuperChess directly, so at most two of the leading trio can finish on 13. Novy Bor face Elektroprivreda, Cheddleton play Rishon LeZion A, and Marseille meet Alkaloid.

SuperChess have the best first tiebreak score of the three (212.5, against 186 for Pendik and 181 for Novy Bor).

Women: Bonnevoie’s first loss

CE Gambit Bonnevoie had won five straight, beating the three highest-rated teams. They lost 1½-2½ to fifth seeds Odlar Yurdu when Khanim Balajayeva beat Aleksandra Maltsevskaya on board four. The other three games were drawn.

Defending champions Monte-Carlo beat SuperChess Romania 2½-1½. Stavroula Tsolakidou won on board three against Deimante Daulyte-Cornette.

Elsewhere, Cramling saved a difficult position against Marsel Efroimski. Humpy Koneru held a pawn-down endgame against Dinara Wagner over 95 moves, and that half-point won the match.

All three leaders are on 10/12, and none of them meet in round seven because they have already played each other. Monte-Carlo face Davit Jojua’s Chess Club, Odlar Yurdu play Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica, and Bonnevoie meet Crvena Zvezda. Sirmium, Crvena Zvezda and Jojua’s club are on 8, so a six-way tie is a remote theoretical possibility.

In the women’s section, 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan of She Plays To Win Lionesses A beat Arina Budiak of Klaipeda for her fourth individual win and 4½/6.

Finnish clubs

It was a hard round for all three Finnish sides. Aatos lost 1½-4½ to Zuid-Limburg, Etela-Vantaan Shakki lost 1½-4½ to Blackthorne, and Gambiitti lost ½-5½ to Hukukcu Fenerbahçeliler Satranc Kulubu.

In round seven, Etela-Vantaan Shakki and Gambiitti meet each other, while Aatos face Paul Keres 2.