The European Senior Team Chess Championships have reached the halfway stage in Hersonissos - located in the north of Crete - with the leading teams closely matched in both age categories after five rounds.
The championships are being played at the Royal Belvedere Hotel, with competition running from 27 August to 4 September. A total of 32 teams and more than 150 players are taking part across the 50+ and 65+ categories.
Both tournaments consist of nine rounds under the Swiss system, with teams fielding four players in each match. The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the remainder of the game, with a 30-second increment from move one.
The Port of Hersonissos | Photo: Stegop via Wikimedia Commons
The top two seeds have lived up to their starting positions so far in the 50+ competition, as England 1 and Italy share first place with 9/10 match points. Both teams have recorded four victories and one draw, with their only dropped match point coming in their direct encounter. That meeting took place in round four and finished 2-2, with all four games ending in draws.
England 1 hold the lead on tiebreaks after five rounds. The first criterion is Olympiad Sonneborn-Berger, while game points are used as the second criterion. England 1 have the advantage by the latter measure, having collected 15 game points compared with Italy's 14.
England's strongest individual scorer so far has been Daniel Gormally. The grandmaster, who turned 50 this year and is therefore making his first appearance in this age category, has scored 4/5 on board two.
Italy's leading scorer has produced an identical result. Carlo D'Amore has collected 4/5 while playing on board four.
Both co-leaders face different opposition in round six. England 1 are paired against the Greek team Athens Vets, while Italy will take on the Netherlands.
The 50+ category features four English teams, including one with an all-women lineup! | Photo: European Chess Union
| Rk. | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 71 | |
| 2 | Italy | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 70 | |
| 3 | Netherlands | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 56 | |
| 4 | Slovakia | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 44,5 | |
| 5 | Ailati Italy | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 35 | |
| 6 | Philidor Brothers | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 32,5 | |
| 7 | Athens Vets | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 25 | |
| 8 | Rishon le Zion Israel | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 47,5 | |
| 9 | England 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 42 | |
| 10 | Data Technology Pressbaum/Eichgraben | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 31 | |
| 11 | Ireland | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 19 | |
| 12 | England (W) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 19 | |
| 13 | Sweden | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 18 | |
| 14 | England 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 15 |
The situation is similarly tight in the 65+ tournament, where the two top seeds, Slovenia and England 1, are tied for first place on 8/10 match points.
Their routes to that total have been different. Slovenia remain unbeaten after three victories and two draws, whereas England have won four matches and lost one. That defeat came against Slovenia in round four, giving the Slovenian team an important result in the direct meeting between the two favourites.
Slovenia have two well-known grandmasters on the top boards, with Alexander Beliavsky playing on board one and Adrian Mikhalchisin, who is also the team captain, on board two. However, their highest scorers after five rounds have been the players on the lower boards. Leon Mazi and Vojko Mencinger have both scored 4/5 on boards three and four respectively. Both also contributed full points in the round-four victory over England 1.
England's best individual result has come from the reserve board, where Peter Large has a perfect 4/4 score.
The starting list had Slovenia narrowly ahead of England 1 as the top seed in the 65+ section, with Italy seeded third, with Carlos Garcia on the top board. England's lineup is headed by John Nunn, the highest-rated player in the category.
John Nunn, Anthony Kosten, John Pigott and Peter Large played for England 1 in the first round | Photo: European Chess Union
| Rk. | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slovenia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 83 | |
| 2 | England 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 74 | |
| 3 | Italy | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 60 | |
| 4 | Finland | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 52 | |
| 5 | England 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 41 | |
| 6 | Israel 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 41 | |
| 7 | Switzerland 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 40,5 | |
| 8 | SG Riehen Switzerland | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 38 | |
| 9 | Denmark | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 25 | |
| 10 | Sweden 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 38 | |
| 11 | Ireland | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 34 | |
| 12 | England 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 42 | |
| 13 | Polish Amateurs | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 22,5 | |
| 14 | Maccabi Matnas Kiryat Yam | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 22,5 | |
| 15 | Sweden 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 27 | |
| 16 | England 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 20 | |
| 17 | Ageless of Crete | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 13 | |
| 18 | Israel 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
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