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The championship is an eleven-round Swiss system in accordance with the ECU Tournament Rules and FIDE Laws of Chess. and is held in Yerevan, Armenia from March 2 (day of arrival) until March 15 (day of departure) 2014. The tournament is held at the Elite Plaza Business Centre. The rate of play 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 tournament does not allow players to draw before the 40th move, and the controversial zero-tolerance rule will be in effect. In case of pre-arranged results the Chief Arbiter can decide that the result of the respective game is 0 - 0. If a prize-winner is absent during the closing ceremony, then the money prize will be reduced by 20%.
The total prizefund is 160 thousand Euros, with 20 thousand for first place, 16 thousand for second, down to 1000 for 25th place. There are also prizes for the best overperformer, meaning the player who performs highest over his rating.
The European Individual Championship 2014 is a qualification event for the next World Cup. According to FIDE regulations and the decision of the ECU Board, 23 players will qualify.
The playing hall with cameras to follow the live action
The charming help desk
In round five, Evgeny Najer, the hero of the round four report, and sole player with 4.0/4, fell to Alexander Riazantsev in a game that held more meaning to the two than just the top spots of the championship. Both players share the esteemed position as a coach of the Russian Women’s team, and though colleagues, there was bound to be some rivalry involved in the game. It showed, and the game was clearly very tense with mistakes from both sides and more than one swing in the balance.
Sanan Sjugirov
Kovalenko and Cheparinov, both on 3.5/4 split the point, and the only other player to climb the rankings was Alexander Motylev, a regular in the top division of the marathon Chinese Chess League, who defeated third round leader, IM Vladislav Artemiev.
Laurent Fressinet is one of France's top representatives
This left both Riazantsev and Motylev at the top with 4.5/5, followed by eleven players on 4.0/5. The top-most of the group is Russian junior GM Vladimir Fedoseev (2641), who beat top-seed Etienne Bacrot (2739).
19-year-old Vladimir Fedoseev is the third highest rated junior
With only two players at 4.5/5, their meeting was an important one. A draw would be unsatisfactory for either since with eleven others a half point behind, there would be a high chance they would be caught by more than one. It was to be Alexander Motylev’s day as he defeated Alexander Riazantsev in a fairly lopsided game where the latter never solved his development problems, and was punished swiftly for it.
Alexander Motylev is sole leader with 5.5/6 and a 2938 performance
While Motylev took the sole lead with 5.5/6, staking an important claim to the prestigious title, three other players moved in just behind him with 5.0/6, all with 2800+ performances and all clearly players in form. Edging out Armenian GM Hrant Melkumyan and Czech GM Viktor Laznicka by tiebreak is Polish GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek.
One can watch all the live boards from here
Wojtaszek had had a fantastic transition from 2013 to 2014, winning two opens with significant scores, but gave up most of his Elo gains in a lackadaisical Wjik aan Zee performance. In round six, his win over Fedoseev suggested he was a force to contend with, as he completely outplayed his younger opponent in a dead equal endgame.
Someone is having a good day
Sunday will be a rest day, and play will resume on Monday.
Photos by Arman Karakhanyan
| Rk | Ti. | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts | TB | Perf |
| 1 | GM | Motylev Alexander | RUS | 2656 | 5.5 | 2568 | 2938 |
| 2 | GM | Wojtaszek Radoslaw | POL | 2713 | 5.0 | 2611 | 2858 |
| 3 | GM | Melkumyan Hrant | ARM | 2613 | 5.0 | 2606 | 2827 |
| 4 | GM | Laznicka Viktor | CZE | 2681 | 5.0 | 2558 | 2807 |
| 5 | GM | Goganov Aleksey | RUS | 2569 | 4.5 | 2657 | 2768 |
| 6 | GM | Riazantsev Alexander | RUS | 2689 | 4.5 | 2613 | 2774 |
| 7 | GM | Eljanov Pavel | UKR | 2723 | 4.5 | 2612 | 2781 |
| 8 | GM | Jakovenko Dmitry | RUS | 2723 | 4.5 | 2608 | 2774 |
| 9 | GM | Najer Evgeniy | RUS | 2633 | 4.5 | 2605 | 2753 |
| 10 | GM | Solak Dragan | TUR | 2610 | 4.5 | 2591 | 2731 |
| 11 | GM | Kotanjian Tigran | ARM | 2531 | 4.5 | 2582 | 2700 |
| 12 | GM | Jobava Baadur | GEO | 2716 | 4.5 | 2580 | 2738 |
| 13 | GM | Sargissian Gabriel | ARM | 2676 | 4.5 | 2575 | 2738 |
| 14 | GM | Smirin Ilia | ISR | 2644 | 4.5 | 2567 | 2726 |
| 15 | GM | Tregubov Pavel V. | RUS | 2614 | 4.5 | 2556 | 2701 |
| 16 | GM | Akopian Vladimir | ARM | 2682 | 4.5 | 2555 | 2724 |
| 17 | GM | Sjugirov Sanan | RUS | 2653 | 4.5 | 2530 | 2697 |
| 18 | GM | Bartel Mateusz | POL | 2662 | 4.5 | 2522 | 2692 |
| 19 | GM | Onischuk Vladimir | UKR | 2583 | 4.0 | 2687 | 2734 |
| 20 | GM | Pashikian Arman | ARM | 2612 | 4.0 | 2652 | 2715 |
| 21 | GM | Antipov Mikhail Al. | RUS | 2507 | 4.0 | 2639 | 2675 |
| 22 | GM | Fedoseev Vladimir | RUS | 2641 | 4.0 | 2635 | 2713 |
| 23 | GM | Huzman Alexander | ISR | 2569 | 4.0 | 2629 | 2677 |
| 24 | GM | Shimanov Aleksandr | RUS | 2649 | 4.0 | 2627 | 2709 |
| 25 | GM | Kovalenko Igor | LAT | 2626 | 4.0 | 2614 | 2693 |
LinksThe games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 12 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs. |
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