European Championship: Favorites dominate in round 1

by Johannes Fischer
5/13/2016 – The European Championship 2016 is played in Gjakova, in the Republic of Kosovo. The field is strong: 245 players registered, five of them have a rating of 2700+, 60 can boast of a rating of 2600+. Top seed is Czech grandmaster David Navara with a rating of 2735. In the first of eleven rounds the favorites had almost no problems to win their games and dominated their opponents.

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Follow the games live on playchess.com

The venue: the "Hotel Pashtriku" at night... 

... and during the day.

The entrance of the hotel

Results of the first round

Bo. No.   Name FED Rtg Result   Name FED Rtg No.
1 1 GM Navara David CZE 2735 1 - 0 IM Agopov Mikael FIN 2442 120
2 121 IM Kanmazalp Ogulcan TUR 2442 0 - 1 GM Wojtaszek Radoslaw POL 2722 2
3 3 GM Vitiugov Nikita RUS 2721 1 - 0 IM Erdogdu Mert TUR 2439 122
4 123 IM Korchmar Vasiliy RUS 2437 0 - 1 GM Ponomariov Ruslan UKR 2715 4
5 5 GM Vallejo Pons Francisco ESP 2700 1 - 0 IM Getz Nicolai NOR 2431 124
6 125 IM Codenotti Marco ITA 2428 0 - 1 GM Ragger Markus AUT 2696 6
7 7 GM Matlakov Maxim RUS 2693 1 - 0 IM Yilmazyerli Mert TUR 2426 126
8 127 IM Dragnev Valentin AUT 2423 0 - 1 GM Fressinet Laurent FRA 2692 8
9 9 GM Kryvoruchko Yuriy UKR 2691 ½ - ½ IM Thorfinnsson Bjorn ISL 2410 128
10 129 IM Birnboim Nathan ISR 2367 0 - 1 GM Hammer Jon Ludvig NOR 2689 10
11 11 GM Sargissian Gabriel ARM 2689 ½ - ½ FM Gaehwiler Gabriel SUI 2352 130
12 131 IM Kerigan Demre TUR 2342 0 - 1 GM Inarkiev Ernesto RUS 2686 12
13 13 GM Cheparinov Ivan BUL 2685 1 - 0 IM Atakisi Umut TUR 2330 132
14 133 FM Fejzullahu Afrim KOS 2319 0 - 1 GM Fedoseev Vladimir RUS 2685 14
15 15 GM Najer Evgeniy RUS 2681 + - -   Pasko Llambi ALB 2319 134
16 135   Nazarko Shpetim GER 2292 0 - 1 GM Piorun Kacper POL 2681 16
17 17 GM Korobov Anton UKR 2674 1 - 0 FM Ermeni Avni KOS 2280 136
18 137   Saraci Nderim KOS 2275 ½ - ½ GM Howell David W L ENG 2671 18
19 19 GM Nisipeanu Liviu-Dieter GER 2669 1 - 0 CM Gavrilescu David ROU 2271 138
20 139   Makolli Perparim KOS 2261 0 - 1 GM Laznicka Viktor CZE 2668 20
21 21 GM Areshchenko Alexander UKR 2667 1 - 0 IM Smolin Sergey UKR 2260 140
22 141   Idrizaj Abedin KOS 2243 - - + GM Duda Jan-Krzysztof POL 2666 22
23 23 GM Moiseenko Alexander UKR 2663 1 - 0   Lind Jan-Olov SWE 2240 142
24 143 FM Tifferet Shaked ISR 2230 0 - 1 GM Dreev Aleksey RUS 2662 24
25 25 GM Postny Evgeny ISR 2662 1 - 0   Sahitaj Naim KOS 2219 144

...

Top seed David Navara played against Mikael Agopov from Finland, definitely not a pushover. But apparently Agopov had a day off and lost quickly after a few inaccuracies in a sharp opening.

 

Ruslan Ponomariov played an energetic attacking game and showed why the Benoni is considered to be a fine weapon to play for a win with Black.

 

Almost all favorites won more or less easily but English grandmaster David Howell had problems. He played with Black against the untitled local Nderim Saraci (Elo 2275) and was lucky to get away with a draw.  

 

Games of round one

 

Starting list

No.   Name FideID Rtg
1 GM Navara David 309095 2735
2 GM Wojtaszek Radoslaw 1118358 2722
3 GM Vitiugov Nikita 4152956 2721
4 GM Ponomariov Ruslan 14103320 2715
5 GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2205530 2700
6 GM Ragger Markus 1610856 2696
7 GM Matlakov Maxim 4168003 2693
8 GM Fressinet Laurent 608742 2692
9 GM Kryvoruchko Yuriy 14109182 2691
10 GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 1503707 2689
11 GM Sargissian Gabriel 13300881 2689
12 GM Inarkiev Ernesto 4162722 2686
13 GM Cheparinov Ivan 2905540 2685
14 GM Fedoseev Vladimir 24130737 2685
15 GM Najer Evgeniy 4118987 2681
16 GM Piorun Kacper 1130420 2681
17 GM Korobov Anton 14105730 2674
18 GM Howell David W L 410608 2671
19 GM Nisipeanu Liviu-Dieter 1202758 2669
20 GM Laznicka Viktor 316385 2668
21 GM Areshchenko Alexander 14109530 2667
22 GM Duda Jan-Krzysztof 1170546 2666
23 GM Moiseenko Alexander 14102560 2663
24 GM Dreev Aleksey 4100107 2662
25 GM Postny Evgeny 2804344 2662
26 GM Jobava Baadur 13601520 2661
27 GM Jones Gawain C B 409561 2657
28 GM Swiercz Dariusz 1126881 2656
29 GM Bartel Mateusz 1112635 2653
30 GM Saric Ivan 14508150 2650
31 GM Grandelius Nils 1710400 2649
32 GM Ipatov Alexander 14116731 2648
33 GM Zhigalko Sergei 13502956 2647
34 GM Kobalia Mikhail 4119150 2646
35 GM Melkumyan Hrant 13302485 2646
36 GM Dubov Daniil 24126055 2644
37 GM Kovalenko Igor 14117908 2644
38 GM Volokitin Andrei 14107090 2642
39 GM Kravtsiv Martyn 14113147 2641
40 GM Romanov Evgeny 4148843 2641
41 GM Georgiev Kiril 2900017 2640
42 GM Berkes Ferenc 718572 2636
43 GM Hovhannisyan Robert 13302507 2632
44 GM Onischuk Vladimir 14114038 2628
45 GM Beliavsky Alexander G 14602377 2624
46 GM Oleksiyenko Mykhaylo 4152417 2622
47 GM Gabuzyan Hovhannes 13303732 2620
48 GM Lupulescu Constantin 1207822 2620
49 GM Nabaty Tamir 2809052 2619
50 GM Salgado Lopez Ivan 2257327 2618
51 GM Anton Guijarro David 2285525 2616
52 GM Bok Benjamin 1017063 2614
53 GM Pantsulaia Levan 13602071 2613
54 GM Pashikian Arman 13301578 2612
55 GM Zubov Alexander 14109409 2612
56 GM Khismatullin Denis 4142578 2609
57 GM Yilmaz Mustafa 6302718 2603
58 GM Andriasian Zaven 13302000 2602
59 GM Ter-Sahakyan Samvel 13302531 2601
60 GM Goganov Aleksey 24109959 2600

... 245 players

Schedule

Day

Date

Hour

Program

Wednesday

11.05.2016

 

Arrivals of participants

Wednesday

11.05.2016

20:00

Opening ceremony

Thursday

11.05.2016

22:00

Technical meeting

Thursday

12.05.2016

15:30

Round I

Friday

13.05.2016

15:30

Round II

Saturday

14.05.2016

15:30

Round III

Sunday

15.05.2016

15:30

Round IV

Monday

16.05.2016

15:30

Round V

Tuesday

17.05.2016

15:30

Round VI

Wednesday

18.05.2016

 

Rest day

Thursday

19.05.2016

15:30

Round VII

Friday

20.05.2016

15:30

Round VIII

Saturday

21.05.2016

15:30

Round IX

Sunday

22.05.2016

15:30

Round X

Monday

23.05.2016

11:00

Round XI

Monday

23.05.2016

20:00

Closing ceremony

Tuesday

24.05.2016

 

Departure

Complete standings and results at Chess-Results.com

Photos: Tournament page

Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".

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