Four co-leaders

Ivan Cheparinov and Aleksandar Indjic have surged into the lead at the European Chess Championship following victories in round five, joining Frederik Svane and Maksim Chigaev at the top. Cheparinov and Indjic were among eighteen players trailing by just half a point after four rounds, while Svane and Chigaev, both co-leaders, agreed to a swift 13-move draw on the top board. This result opened the door for Cheparinov and Indjic to catch up.

Cheparinov's fifth-round victory over Nikita Petrov was a marathon 106-move battle, testing his endurance and precision. Cheparinov managed to gain a pawn on move 28, but his path to victory was far from straightforward. He had to carefully defend his material advantage through an endgame that involved both queens and bishops. 

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Eventually, the game boiled down to a pure queen endgame, with Petrov narrowly missing several chances to secure a draw by perpetual check. In a dramatic finish, the board even saw three queens before Petrov finally resigned.

The playing hall during round 5 | Photo: Mark Livshitz

Aleksandar Indjic's win, in contrast, concluded early in the round. Playing with the black pieces, he defeated Felix Blohberger in just 29 moves with a swift checkmating sequence. Indjic's striking 25...Ng4+ move set up a tricky decision for Blohberger, who captured the knight with 26.hxg4 - instead, 26.Kh1 was the correct continuation, which would have kept the battle going.

This allowed Indjic to capitalise on his position with an unstoppable attack: 26...Rh8+ 27.Bh3 Qf7 28.Rxa8 Qf1 (threatening mate on h3) 29.Rxh8 Qg1#. 

A stylish conclusion that showcased the Serbian's tactical alertness.

Round six promises more excitement as Svane and Cheparinov clash with Svane holding the white pieces, while Indjic will also play white against Chigaev. The leaders, however, are closely followed by a competitive pack of 28 players who trail by only half a point, including top seeds Vladimir Fedoseev and Bogdan-Daniel Deac.

Standings after round 5

Understanding Middlegame Strategies Vol.1 - 9

In this Video-Course we deal with different dynamic decisions involving pawns. The aim of this Course is to arm club/tournament players with fresh ideas which they can use in their own practice.

...388 players

All games - Round 5

Replay games from all rounds on Live.ChessBase.com

Links

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