Report and photos by WFM/IA Georgia Grapsa

The battles have intensified in both sections of the World Senior Team Championship as the event has reached its halfway mark.

In the 50+ category, going into round five, Kazakhstan, USA 1, Italy and England 1 shared first place with 7 team points each (three wins and one draw).

Round five featured key matchups on the top boards, with USA 1 facing England 1, while Kazakhstan took on Italy. Both encounters were crucial in the fight for the lead. After a long five-hour battle, USA 1 wrested victory by a score of 2½–1½, while Italy joined them in first place after narrowly defeating Kazakhstan by the same margin.

Mastering the London System

In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
The London System is one of the most popular openings at every level of chess but not all Londons are the same. In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: 5...cxd4 6.exd4 Qb6 sidelines

USA 1 defeated England 1 thanks to Gregory Kaidanov's victory over Mark Hebden on board three

Similarly, in the 65+ category, the situation was also unclear prior to round five, as six teams were tied for first place: FIDE team, England 1, Germany, Italy, Israel and France 1, each with 7 team points.

In the fifth round, the top contestants were pitted against each other. Matches between Israel and England 1, as well as between the FIDE team and Italy, both ended in draws, giving France 1 the sole lead with 9 team points after their victory over Germany.

Germany facing France in round five of the 65+ section - France scored a 2½-1½ win

Although the women's categories have been merged with the open sections due to an insufficient number of participants, the ladies have delivered strong and competitive performances in both groups.

In the 50+ section, Kazakhstan Women, with three wins and one loss, stood in joint fifth place going into round five, while Czech Republic Women, USA Women and England Women shared 14^th–20^th place alongside several other teams.

In round five, the Kazakhstan Women team was paired against one of the top seeds, Alkaloid Chess Club, and lost. The Czech Republic Women team joined them with 6 team points in shared 8^th–13^th position after beating Brazil 1. The USA and England women's teams were paired against each other and drew their match, remaining on 5 team points.

Understanding Middlegame Strategy Vol 13: Reversed Colour Systems – Grünfeld & Dutch

In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores the fascinating world of Dutch and Grünfelkd structures with colours reversed.
In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores one of the most intriguing and under-examined areas of modern chess: reversed opening systems, focusing on the Reversed Grünfeld and the Reversed Dutch. At first glance, these two systems seem unrelated. However, they share a common strategic challenge: the value of tempi, structure, and psychology when familiar openings are played with colours reversed. Drawing on his long professional experience, Sokolov explains why these positions are far more subtle than they appear and why traditional engine evaluations often fail to capture their true complexity.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Larsen’s b4 Plan vs Reversed Stonewall Setups: Larsen - Spassky

In the 65+ section, FIDE Women led the women's race before round five with 5 team points, sharing 15^th–20^th place, followed by Latvia Women and Germany Women, both on 4 team points, while Poland Women had a difficult start, losing four matches.

In round five, all women’s teams except one were defeated by their respective opponents, while Poland Women managed to secure a draw, resulting in no changes to their standings.

Following the fifth round comes the long-awaited free day, with options for organised excursions around Durrës and Berat, as well as participation in an open rapid tournament. After this break, the players will return refreshed and well-rested for the final portion of the competition and the decisive last rounds.

Stay tuned for the exciting finish!

Standings after round 5 - 50+ section

Modern Classics

Top trainers strongly recommend regular study of well-explained classical games to improve your understanding of chess in the long term. 33 modern classics are explained in details on this video course.

...36 teams

All available games

Standings after round 5 - 65+ section

...54 teams

All available games

Links

• Official website
• Technical information on Chess-Results: 50+ section | 65+ section