Novy Bor and TAJFUN-SK Ljubljana are European Club Cup champions

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
10/27/2024 – The European Club Cup in Vrnjačka Banja concluded with thrilling results in both the open and women's sections. Czech team Novy Bor dominated the open section, defeating favourites SuperChess in the final round to secure gold, with Alkaloid and Romania's Vados Chess Club completing the podium. In the women's section, TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana emerged as champions, edging past SuperChess, who took third, while Garuda Ajka BSK clinched second with a decisive final-round win. | Photos: European Chess Union

ChessBase 18 - Mega package ChessBase 18 - Mega package

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.

More...

Anton scores crucial win

The Czech team Novy Bor emerged as the winners of the 2024 European Club Cup after an impressive performance across seven rounds, claiming six victories and one draw. In the final round, they clinched the title with a critical 3½-2½ win against top-seeded SuperChess. The match saw five draws, but it was David Anton's victory over Jorden van Foreest on board 5 that sealed the win and secured their triumph.

This marks Novy Bor's third European Club Cup title, following previous wins in 2013 and 2022. Impressively, six out of the eight players from their 2022 victory returned this year, contributing to the club's success under the guidance of captain Petr Boleslav, also known for his organisation of the Prague Chess Festival.

The North Macedonian team Alkaloid claimed sole second place after securing a decisive 5-1 win against C'Chartres Echecs in the final round, giving them 12 out of 14 match points. In the previous round, they were the only team to hold Novy Bor to a draw, demonstrating their strength throughout the competition.

An unexpected podium finisher, Vados Chess Club of Romania, clinched third place despite being the 13th seed. With young Indian players Leon Luke Mendonca and Aryan Chopra leading their lineup, they drew Sentimento Ajka BSK and overcame Rishon Le Zion A in the last two rounds. All team members completed the event with a positive score, showing remarkable cohesion and resilience.

Vados Chess Club shared their 11 match points with three other teams but outperformed them on tiebreaks. Turkish Airlines, TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana, and Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club all scored 11/14 match points.

European Chess Club Cup 2024

The podium - left to right: Vados Chess Club (bronze), Novy Bor (gold) and Alkaloid (silver)

The top individual performers in Serbia showcased remarkable tournament performance ratings (TPRs). Notably, TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana's Robert Markus achieved a perfect 4/4 with a 3062 TPR, while Nodirbek Yakubboev (2853), Vincent Keymer (2850) and Arjun Erigaisi (2820) all achieved +4 scored after playing either 6 or 7 games.

Arjun Erigaisi crossed the 2800 live rating mark after defeating Dmitry Andreikin in round five, though draws in the final two rounds, against Vidit Gujrathi and Vasyl Ivnachuk, left him just shy of retaining it, placing him at 2799 in FIDE's next official ranking.

This year's tournament further elevated Yakubboev, now 61st in the live ratings after gaining 14.1 Elo points, and Keymer, who gained 11.8 Elo to reach the 22nd spot.

Final standings

Rk. Team TB1
1 Novy Bor Chess Club 13
2 Alkaloid 12
3 Vados Chess Club 11
4 Turkish Airlines 11
5 TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana 11
6 Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club 11
7 SuperChess 10
8 Beer Sheva Chess Club 10
9 Kavala Chess Club 10
10 Sentimento Ajka BSK 10
11 Tuxera Aquaprofit Nagykanizsai Sakk Klub 10
12 C'Chartres Echecs 10
13 Vugar Gashimov 10
14 SK JAVES Modra 10
15 Perfect 10

...84 teams

All available games

TAJFUN-ŠK beat SuperChess, grab gold in women's section

In the women's section of the European Club Cup, Slovenia's TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana secured outright victory in the final round, overcoming a tie with SuperChess Club. Ljubljana clinched gold by beating top-seeded Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo - while SuperChess lost to fifth-seeded Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica - finishing their campaign in Serbia with a decisive win.

SuperChess, despite the loss, still claimed third place with 10 match points. They were outperformed by Garuda Ajka BSK, who overtook them for second by achieving a dominant 3½-½ win over Gambit Bonnevoie in the final round.

Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo, despite entering as the tournament favourites, finished in sixth place with 8 match points. Monte-Carlo has previously won the event seven times, but have not achieved a title since 2018, when they last claimed victory in Porto Carras.

European Chess Club Cup 2024

TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana - from left to right: captain Boki Predojevic, Laura Unuk, Olga Badelka, Nana Dzagnidze and Zala Urh

European Chess Club Cup 2024

The podium - from left to right: Garuda Ajka BSK (silver), TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana (gold) and SuperChess Club (bronze)

Three of the top four TPRs in the women's section came from the champion team TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana. Zhu Jiner achieved a 2693 TPR on board 2, Nana Dzagnidze earned a 2579 TPR on board 1, and Olga Badelka recorded a 2554 TPR on board 3, with each winning individual gold on their respective boards. Rounding out the top performers, Zsoka Gaal scored a 2568 TPR on board 5 for second-placed Garuda Ajka BSK.

Final standings

Rk. Team TB1
1 TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana 12
2 Garuda Ajka BSK 11
3 SuperChess Club 10
4 Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica 9
5 Crvena zvezda - Data Driven Lab 8
6 Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo 8
7 MSK CENTAR 8
8 Gambit Bonnevoie 7
9 Rudar Kostolac 7
10 Schachgesellschaft Solingen A 7

...18 teams

All available games

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.
Discussion and Feedback Submit your feedback to the editors