European Championship: Cheparinov and Indjic join the lead

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
11/13/2024 – Round five of the European Chess Championship saw Ivan Cheparinov and Aleksandar Indjic joining Frederik Svane and Maksim Chigaev in the lead after scoring crucial wins. While Svane and Chigaev quickly agreed to a draw, Cheparinov battled through a gruelling 106 moves to defeat Nikita Petrov, while Indjic secured a swift checkmate against Felix Blohberger in only 29 moves. These four co-leaders will face each other in round six, with 28 closely trailing players, including top seeds Vladimir Fedoseev and Bogdan-Daniel Deac, eager to challenge for the top. | Photo: Mark Livshitz

Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

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. 

Cheparinov v. Petrov
This is the position after White's 38th move - Cheparinov is already a pawn up, but needed almost 70 more moves to convert it into a win

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.

European Chess Championship

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.

Blohberger v. Indjic

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

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Svane, Frederik 4,5 0
2 Chigaev, Maksim 4,5 0
3 Cheparinov, Ivan 4,5 0
4 Indjic, Aleksandar 4,5 0
5 Deac, Bogdan-Daniel 4 0
6 Hovhannisyan, Robert 4 0
7 Dardha, Daniel 4 0
8 Romanov, Evgeny 4 0
9 Sedlak, Nikola 4 0
10 Fedoseev, Vladimir 4 0
11 Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan 4 0
12 Mamedov, Rauf 4 0
13 Svane, Rasmus 4 0
14 Gumularz, Szymon 4 0
15 Gazik, Viktor 4 0
16 Gurel, Ediz 4 0
Donchenko, Alexander 4 0
18 Motylev, Alexander 4 0
Sokolovsky, Yahli 4 0
20 Maurizzi, Marc`andria 4 0

...388 players

All games - Round 5

Loading...
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.

Replay games from all rounds on Live.ChessBase.com

Links


Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.