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The IX European Individual Chess Championship is taking place in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, from April 21st to May 3rd 2008, with one free day, on Monday, April 28. The tournament halls are in the Novotel Plovdiv. The championship is an 11 round Swiss, playing time is 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting from move one. The total prize fund in the men's section is 92,200 EUR (first 15,000, 2nd 10,000, third 8,000, fourth 6,500, fifth 5,500 etc.) and in the women's section 34,500 EUR (first 6,000, second 5,000, third 4,000, fourth 3,000, fifth 2,000, etc.). According to Bulgarian law all prizes are taxable (10%).
Ten players have perfect 3.0/3 scores, and they are followed by 36 players who have conceded a single draw so far. You will find links to the games at the bottom of this page.
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In the women's section there are five players with perfect scores, followed by 22 with a single draw so far. The two full GMs Stefanova and Lahno are in this top group, while GMs Pia Cramling and Hoang Thanh Trang have 2.0/3, while Dutch Champion GM Peng Zhaoqin is at 50%.
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At the airport in Budapest (from left) GM Fabiano Caruana (ITA), IM Krisztian Szabo (HUN), WGM Iweta Rajlich (POL) and IM David Berczes (HUN). Destination – Sofia and then Plovdiv, a town in Bulgaria where the European Individual Chess Championships for Men and Women will run from 20 April to 4 May. The short flight from Budapest to Sofia was made even shorter in the pleasant company of my travelling companion Iweta (POL), who also temporarily lives in Budapest. She left her husband, IM Vasic Rajlich (USA), at home to swim alone with his chess program ‘Rybka’.
One can imagine Fabiano in this lonely position at many airports, even though his father who is regularly accompanying him, must be somewhere around. The young player, who is currently living in Budapest, has rarely missed an important international tournament lately. He has been generally sweeping victories, the most notable at the recent Corus in Wijk aan Zee (Group C). The European Individual Championship would be an obvious challenge for the unstoppable young GM. He is only 16.
Two more Polish players GM Mateusz Bartel and GM Marcin Dziuba have ended up, somewhat mysteriously, on the flight from Budapest. Mateusz has revealed the mystery: The Polish Chess Federation had confirmed quite some time ago that the registrations have been made and flights have been booked – from Warsaw, obviously – for all Polish players. But just a day or so before the scheduled departures Mateusz and Marcin discovered to their dismay that they, only the two of them, have been left without booked flights. The Federation has made a simple blunder. We know it can happen to anyone. They would be sent to the European Championship, no problem, but the best flying schedule the Federation could get on the last day would include a couple of transfers… and about a half day longer than the original journey would have been. They took it to their stride however and Mateusz jokes and sense of humour was not impaired.
Once at the Sofia airport the Bulgarian organisers’ efficiency started enfolding: registered names were neatly ticked off and players were dispatched in minibuses towards the final destination – Plovdiv. (in the left corner) GM Gawain Jones (ENG), (first row) Arne Hagesaether (NOR) and wife IM Jovanka Houska (ENG). Second row: Iweta Rajlich and last rowFM Alexander van Beek (NED) and IM Thomas Willemze (NED). The players were initially jovial but the heat and the exhaustion soon took their toll…
On the unexpectedly hot day and the extended journey this gentle oblivious slumber was understandable. Unfortunately, I did not get the name of our companion but will do so when he will be at the chess board, hopefully well awake.
Gawain is proudly sporting his souvenir from down under, which must have come quite handy against the early summer heat.
The hotel Novotel is where the tournaments will take place and where the majority of the players will be staying, although the high prices pushed off a big number of participants into privately arranged accommodation.
In the lobby of the hotel there was soon a big hubbub of players trying to finalise the registration and accommodation formalities as soon as possible. But IM Yelena Dembo (GRE) and IM Sopio Gvetadze (GEO) were a pleasant sight of calm and relaxation.
Not many players were able to attend the brief ‘welcome’ ceremony at 6 p.m. Many had just about arrived and needed to sort out their sleeping arrangements and still many more were yet on their way. But the ones that managed to be present were treated to lively Bulgarian folk songs and dances. The colourful hand-made and embroidered dresses are typical, as are the folk instruments gayda (bagpipe) and gadulka (vertical fiddle).
The most important item of men’s clothing is the kalzuni (knee-length embroidered socks) and crvuli (leather sandals).
One hour later, another reception was held with a slightly different folklore – only for selected and invited dignitaries.
Among the invitees the Bulgarian chess stars GM Antoaneta Stefanova...
…and GM Kiril Georgiev.
One of the arbiters of the men's section is Igor Botvinik from Russia. Botvinik? Yes. Mihail Botvinik was Igor’s uncle.
Fifteen minutes before the start of the first round. Early arrivals.
GM Pia Cramling (SWE) – the highest rated woman in the tournament. In professional manner she has taken her place on the first table well before anyone else is there, and is already pondering her first move.
IM Alexandar Colovic (MKD) and GM Dragan Kosic (MNE) at the entrance of the playing hall right before the start of the imminent battle.
Chief Arbiter Zdravko Nedev (BUL) and Gerry Walsh, Deputy President of the European Chess Union and President of the English Chess Federation, high on the stage in the men’s playing hall. Before anything else, an important announcement needed to be made: ‘Anyone who has not finalised any of the due payments, please see Mr Gerry Walsh’.
At the very start of the first round, IM Mihai-Lucian Grunberg (ROU) and GM Jan Gustafsson (GER). Next to Mihail-Lucian is GM Yuriy Kuzubov (UKR), using my pen. It happens every now and then than chess players arrive at their game missing an important item – a pen to write the moves. Yuriy arrived flustered at the entrance of the playing hall. At first he pointed plaintively at my pen but then, while I was wasting precious seconds considering that I needed it as well, he literally snatched it from my hand and hurriedly rushed to his seat. He probably sensed that I am an understanding soul. Never mind, his task was more important than mine.
Just about started. WIM Maria Komiagina (RUS) opposite GM Hoang Thanh Trang (HUN). Behind on the left is IM Elina Danielian (ARM) and to her left in the back WGM Elena Levushkina (GER).
The first move is made, and waiting for the opponent to arrive: IM Viktorija Cmilyte (LTU)
The men’s playing hall, with the first round in full swing. Visitors are filling slowly the well cordoned off space. The sharp sighted can notice GM Kobalia Mikhail (RUS), second row on the right, had given a free vent to the pressure and fatigue.
Very shortly after the beginning of the first round GM Sarunas Sulskis (LTU) was walking in the corridor conspicuously leisurely. ‘I got a plus’ – he told me as a matter-of-factly. ‘You mean… you won?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Who was your opponent?’ ‘I don’t know. I just know I got a plus.’ I guess that is all that matters.
All pictures by Diana Mihajlova
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