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

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.

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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 13^th 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.

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.

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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 61^st in the live ratings after gaining 14.1 Elo points, and Keymer, who gained 11.8 Elo to reach the 22^nd spot.

Final standings

...84 teams

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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.

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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.

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

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.

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Final standings

...18 teams

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