Dardha climbs to sole second place

Serbian Grandmaster Aleksandar Indjic has held the lead at the European Chess Championship since his crucial round-six victory over Maksim Chigaev. As the tournament approaches its final round, Indjic remains atop the standings with 8½ points, holding a narrow half-point advantage over 19-year-old Belgian GM Daniel Dardha. Dardha climbed to sole second place after a key victory against Czech GM David Navara in Monday's round.

While the race for the €20,000 top prize dominates headlines, players are also battling for one of the 20 coveted spots in the next FIDE World Cup. Both Indjic and Dardha have secured qualification with their commanding performances, allowing them to focus on the championship title. Meanwhile, nine players with 7½ points are likely to opt for cautious approaches in the final round to ensure their World Cup spots. In contrast, the 16 competitors with 7 points face a dilemma: play it safe or risk everything for a win. Those on 6½ points, including ambitious underdogs and vetted grandmasters, will likely push hard in a last-ditch effort to secure qualification.

Notably, only two players rated below 2600 have reached 7½ points so far: Polish GM Kacper Piorun and Russian-born GM Alexander Motylev (now representing Romania), the 2014 European Champion. Among the group on 6½ points, Armenian FM Erik Gasparyan stands out as the biggest underdog. Born in 2007 and ranked as the 196^th seed with a 2371 rating, Gasparyan has defied expectations with his impressive results.

The final round begins two hours earlier than usual, as Indjic and Dardha face off on the top board, with Dardha holding the white pieces. Strong players such as Jorden van Foreest, Nikita Vitiugov and Etienne Bacrot will be under pressure to secure their World Cup spots.

Daniel Dardha | Photo: European Chess Union

Dardha's all-important win over Navara in round 10 saw the youngster making the most of his better pawn structure in an endgame with a queen and a rook per side.

Engines favour Black's position, given his better pawn structure and safer king position. However, converting this advantage into a win is no trivial task against a player of Navara's calibre. Dardha managed though, eventually gaining a pawn and then simplifying into a winning king and pawn ending.

After 46...Qe6 White cannot defend both pawns on a2 and h3. Navara went for 47.Kd3 and Dardha decided to capture the queenside pawn. Resignation came only on move 76, as the young Belgian GM continued to find the correct winning plans at every crossroad.

Standings after round 10

...388 players

All games - Round 10

Replay games from all rounds on Live.ChessBase.com

Links

• Official website
• European Chess Union
• Full technical information on Chess-Results