European Senior Championships in Eretria

15th European Senior Chess Championship

The 15th European Senior Chess Championships were held in Eretria, Greece, from the 28th of April to the 8th of May, 2015. There were two sections: Over 50 and Over 65. The tournaments were nine round Swiss with time controls of 40 moves in 90 minutes, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game + 30 seconds increment per move, starting from move one.

The official venue was the conference center of the four-star Eretria Village Hotel, which is near the ancient city of Eretria. Here are some pictures (from Booking.com) to make you feel envious or look forward to becoming a senior:

Group photo of some of the lucky participants

The European Senior Championships 2015 under way in Eretria

Georgian GM Zurab Sturua, rated 2536, started as as one of the favorites in the Over 50 group – and as the reigning World Senior Champion. He finished a point ahead of top seed John Nunn, 2601, who finished sole second.

The winners of the Over 50 section: John Nunn, Zurab Sturua and Keith Arkell (Bronze)

World and now European Senior Champion GM Zurab Sturua, 55, who won the
Georgian Championship in 1975, 1977, 1981, 1984 and 1985 and played for
Georgia in the Chess Olympiads of 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002.

Top final standings of the Euro Senior Championship over 50 (nine rounds)

John Nunn, above in his round one game against Spiridon Ilandzis, won second place in the Over 50 section. He tells us that Eretria and the hotel not exactly conducive to vicious battles on the chessboard. "You go for nice walks, enjoy the sunny, warm weather, the scenery, the sea, and then you tend to allow a tame draw in the afternoon." John, who recently turned sixty, was one of the oldest players in the Over 50 section. He kindly annotated a game for us.

Replay games

Select games from the dropdown menu above the board

Over 65 European Championship

Whereas the favorites were able to fulfil expectations in the Over 50 group there was a big surprise in the Over 65 section: the relatively unknown Belgian player Jan Rooze tied with Russian GM Viktor Kupreichik, who is known for his fantastic attacking style, for first place and beat him on tie-break points. GM Evgeni Vasiukov followed a point behind the two leaders for Bronze, while former Women's World Champion Nona Gaprindashvili was one point behind him in fifth place.

Top final standings of the Euro Senior Championship over 65 (nine rounds)

Replay games

Select games from the dropdown menu above the board

Links Official tournament site All games in PGN: Over 50 + Over 65 You can use ChessBase 12 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs to replay the games in PGN. You can also download our free Playchess client, which will in addition give you immediate access to the chess server Playchess.com.