The European Club Cup was originally due to take place in Herceg Novi. However, because work suddenly became necessary at Hotel Medun, which had been intended as the venue, the competition was moved at short notice to Budva, to a holiday resort on the Grdvica River.

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In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Invisible moves

The European Club Cup continues to grow. This year's edition already features 108 teams competing for the trophy in the open section, a few more than last year. The tournament is becoming increasingly popular, especially among amateurs, as with a little luck, they can face strong professional teams with their clubs or at least play close to the top players.

The tournament has the character of a Chess Olympiad, but anyone who wants to take part does not have to be a national-team player. The conditions set by the European Chess Union are fairly relaxed. Each federation may enter five teams, or four if no national championship is held within that federation. More teams may also be admitted on application. The federations themselves decide which of their clubs are eligible to participate.

Unlike the Chess Olympiad, the European Club Cup is played over six boards, making the tournament even more attractive to chess-loving amateurs because more players can take part.

Unlike in other sports, chess players may be registered and play simultaneously in several leagues. Professionals make extensive use of this feature. As a result, there is a kind of bidding competition among the stronger professional clubs for the best players. At the European Club Cup, they cannot play for all their clubs at the same time and therefore have to choose - usually the best financial offer.

The favourite teams

In previous years, strongly staffed teams from Russia were among the favourites, but times have changed. Russia has been suspended because of the war against neighbouring Ukraine and, as a consequence, has also left the European Chess Union and moved to Asia.

As a result, the Elo centre of gravity among the top teams has shifted elsewhere, geographically towards the south-west of the continent.

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Experts examine the games of Max Euwe. Let them show you which openings Euwe chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were, which tactical abilities he had or how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame.
Max Euwe became the fifth World Chess Champion after beating Alexander Alekhine in the 1935 World Championship match. A maths teacher by profession, Euwe remained an amateur throughout his life, but was still the best chess player in the Netherlands, and one of the world's best players. Euwe holds the record for the most Dutch national championships, with twelve. After winning the World Championship, Euwe was also the world's best player for a while. He lost the title again in 1937 in the rematch against Alexander Alekhine.
Free video sample: Openings

In the open section, the teams at the top of the starting list are more or less the same as last year. Defending champions Super Chess Romania have to do without Gukesh Dommaraju this year. The world champion has an important appointment coming up. Nodirbek Abdusattorov takes over the role of team leader on board one.

Ahead of Super Chess in the starting list are the Turkish Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club and the Macedonian team Alkaloid, both named after their sponsors. Alkaloid is a pharmaceutical company, while Bayegan operates in the petrochemical sector. Pendik is a district of Istanbul on the Asian side. The Turkish top club finished third in last year's final standings, while Alkaloid were second.

Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club have Anish Giri on board one and also include the two Turkish super-talents Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Ediz Gürel, as well as the young Russian Volodar Murzin, who competes under the FIDE flag. Amin Tabatabaei, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Richard Rapport add several more 2700 heavyweights to the fight for points.

Alkaloid counter with many players from India and China, led by Arjun Erigaisi and Wei Yi on the top boards.

Novy Bor are also always among the favourites, having already won the Cup three times. Last year, the Czech team had Vincent Keymer as one of their best scorers. He collected 5 points in 6 rounds. Novy Bor won bronze. Keymer is absent from this year's edition, however. Perhaps he has other things to do. Nihal Sarin and Pentala Harikrishna will lead the team.

Germany is represented by six clubs, but only two Bundesliga sides: Schachfreunde Berlin and St. Pauli, both of whom are competing without professionals. Also taking part are SC Erlangen, former Bundesliga club SV Mülheim-Nord, TSV Schönaich and SK Weiß Dame Hamburg.

With Vincent Keymer absent, Matthias Bluebaum is the highest-rated German player in the tournament. He plays on board two for the Hungarian team Tuxera Aquaprofit Nagykanizsai.

Top teams

108 teams

All teams at Chess-Results...

Women's Cup

The picture is somewhat easier to survey in the women's tournament, where matches are played over only four boards. As always, the clear favourites are the professional team Cercle d'échecs de Monte-Carlo. Monte-Carlo have already won the Women's Cup nine times, including last year, making them the record winners. Elisabeth Paehtz has been part of the team for many years and is playing for them again in Budva.

The teams Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica and Super Chess are the closest challengers for the tournament victory.

Two German clubs are also taking part: SG Löberitz and Klub Kölner Schachfreunde. Dana Reizniece-Ozola has played for Löberitz for many years. She was a minister in her native Latvia for a time and now works for FIDE. Reizniece-Ozola plays alongside four other Latvian players. Rebekka Schuster, vice-president of SG Löberitz, represents the German colours and presumably also serves as captain.

The Scotch Game

Besides in-depth theory and exciting tactical exercises in the Scotch Game, this video course also includes a bonus section on the Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bc4), a lively variation often leading to very dynamic positions.

Klub Kölner Schachfreunde have entered an interesting lineup featuring streamers Katharina Reinicke and Hannah Sayce, Dutch player Anna Maia Kazarian and Poland's Anna Kantane.

All teams

The Club Cup has for many years been played over seven rounds under the Swiss system, which is not very many given that more than 100 teams are taking part in the open competition.

Prize money:

Schedule:

Official tournament website...

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