European Team Championship: Germany and Georgia head strong fields in Batumi

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
10/4/2025 – The 2025 European Team Chess Championship takes place from 4 to 15 October in Batumi, Georgia, featuring 40 national teams in the open and 36 teams in the women's section. The German team leads the starting list ahead of the Netherlands and Hungary in the open, while host nation Georgia tops the women's field. Notably, Hungary will include both Richard Rapport and Peter Leko in their lineup. | Image: European Chess Union
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Giri, Keymer and Rapport top boards of the favourite squads

The 2025 European Team Chess Championship will be held from 4 to 15 October in Batumi, Georgia. The biennial event features separate open and women's tournaments, each played over nine rounds under the Swiss system. A total of 76 teams are registered - 40 in the open section and 36 in the women's - with strong participation from across the continent.

Germany top the starting list in the open competition with an average rating of 2681, followed by the Netherlands (2675), Hungary (2666), Azerbaijan (2660) and England (2639). The extended group of contenders includes Armenia, Serbia, Spain, Ukraine and Greece, all with averages above 2600.

Among the leading individual players are Anish Giri (2759), Vincent Keymer (2755), Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2742), Richard Rapport (2724) and Vladimir Fedoseev (2720).

National coaches stress that team balance will be key in the nine-round format, where preparation, stamina and collective depth often outweigh individual brilliance. Hungary's inclusion of both Rapport and Peter Leko highlights their mix of youth and experience, while Azerbaijan again rely on Mamedyarov's attacking flair. England combine seasoned players such as Michael Adams with younger talents including Shreyas Royal, while Spain, Armenia and Serbia bring consistent, competitive squads.

Matthias Bluebaum, Vincent Keymer

Germany's Matthias Bluebaum and Vincent Keymer at the recent Grand Swiss in Samarkand | Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE

Top teams - Open

1. Germany (RtgAvg:2681 / TB1: 0 / TB2: 0) Captain: Gustafsson, Jan
Bo. Name Rtg FED FideID Games
1 GM Keymer, Vincent 2755 GER 12940690 0
2 GM Svane, Rasmus 2614 GER 4657101 0
3 GM Bluebaum, Matthias 2687 GER 24651516 0
4 GM Kollars, Dmitrij 2642 GER 12909572 0
5 GM Svane, Frederik 2638 GER 12923044 0
2. Netherlands (RtgAvg:2675 / TB1: 0 / TB2: 0) Captain: Smeets, Jan
Bo. Name Rtg FED FideID Games
1 GM Giri, Anish 2759 NED 24116068 0
2 GM Van Foreest, Jorden 2697 NED 1039784 0
3 GM Warmerdam, Max 2582 NED 1048104 0
4 GM Van Wely, Loek 2630 NED 1000268 0
5 GM L'Ami, Erwin 2615 NED 1007998 0
3. Hungary (RtgAvg:2666 / TB1: 0 / TB2: 0) Captain: Balogh, Csaba
Bo. Name Rtg FED FideID Games
1 GM Rapport, Richard 2724 HUN 738590 0
2 GM Leko, Peter 2666 HUN 703303 0
3 GM Banusz, Tamas 2588 HUN 722413 0
4 GM Sjugirov, Sanan 2632 HUN 4189302 0
5 GM Gledura, Benjamin 2643 HUN 712779 0
4. Azerbaijan (RtgAvg:2660 / TB1: 0 / TB2: 0) Captain: Radjabov, Teimour
Bo. Name Rtg FED FideID Games
1 GM Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar 2742 AZE 13401319 0
2 GM Mamedov, Rauf 2655 AZE 13401653 0
3 GM Safarli, Eltaj 2630 AZE 13402129 0
4 GM Suleymanli, Aydin 2614 AZE 13413937 0
5 GM Muradli, Mahammad 2584 AZE 13409301 0
5. England (RtgAvg:2639 / TB1: 0 / TB2: 0) Captain: Watson, William N
Bo. Name Rtg FED FideID Games
1 GM Vitiugov, Nikita 2654 ENG 4152956 0
2 GM Adams, Michael 2646 ENG 400041 0
3 GM Maroroa Jones, Gawain C B 2643 ENG 409561 0
4 GM McShane, Luke J 2614 ENG 404853 0
5 GM Royal, Shreyas 2501 ENG 448869 0

...40 teams

Georgia, Poland and Ukraine head the field in the women's competition

In the women's section, hosts Georgia start as clear favourites with a 2451 average rating, ahead of Poland (2397) and Ukraine (2379).

Georgia's leading players Nana Dzagnidze and Nino Batsiashvili will be joined by Alexandra Kosteniuk (Switzerland, 2469), Yuliia Osmak (Ukraine, 2464) and Stavroula Tsolakidou (Greece, 2453) among the tournament's top-rated participants.

Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Germany, Spain, Armenia, France and Switzerland complete a highly competitive top ten.

European Team Chess Championships 2025

The Georgian squad that took gold at the 2023 World Team Chess Championship - Salome Melia, Bella Khotenashvili, Lela Javakhishvili, Meri Arabidze and Nino Batsiashvili (only Melia will not play in Batumi this year, as Nana Dzagnidze has been included in the lineup) | Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE

Top teams - Women's

1. Georgia 1 (RtgAvg:2451 / TB1: 0 / TB2: 0) Captain: Movsesian, Sergei
Bo. Name Rtg FED FideID Games
1 GM Dzagnidze, Nana 2496 GEO 13601903 0
2 GM Batsiashvili, Nino 2469 GEO 13602993 0
3 IM Javakhishvili, Lela 2423 GEO 13601458 0
4 GM Khotenashvili, Bella 2416 GEO 13602640 0
5 IM Arabidze, Meri 2417 GEO 13604040 0
2. Poland (RtgAvg:2397 / TB1: 0 / TB2: 0) Captain: Dziuba, Marcin
Bo. Name Rtg FED FideID Games
1 IM Kashlinskaya, Alina 2450 POL 4198026 0
2 IM Maltsevskaya, Aleksandra 2394 POL 24174041 0
3 IM Kiolbasa, Oliwia 2388 POL 1154613 0
4 GM Socko, Monika 2356 POL 1106619 0
5 IM Kulon, Klaudia 2336 POL 1131044 0
3. Ukraine (RtgAvg:2379 / TB1: 0 / TB2: 0) Captain: Brodsky, Michail
Bo. Name Rtg FED FideID Games
1 IM Osmak, Yuliia 2464 UKR 14101602 0
2 GM Ushenina, Anna 2407 UKR 14110911 0
3 IM Gaponenko, Inna 2340 UKR 14101181 0
4 GM Zhukova, Natalia 2305 UKR 14101513 0
5 WFM Piddubna, Bozhena 2265 UKR 34109293 0
4. Azerbaijan (RtgAvg:2362 / TB1: 0 / TB2: 0) Captain: Kadimova, Ilaha
Bo. Name Rtg FED FideID Games
1 IM Fataliyeva, Ulviyya 2410 AZE 13403052 0
2 IM Balajayeva, Khanim 2351 AZE 13406396 0
3 WGM Beydullayeva, Govhar 2362 AZE 13413015 0
4 IM Mammadova, Gulnar 2323 AZE 13403508 0
5 WIM Allahverdiyeva, Ayan 2220 AZE 13412590 0
5. Bulgaria (RtgAvg:2357 / TB1: 0 / TB2: 0) Captain: Arnaudov, Petar
Bo. Name Rtg FED FideID Games
1 GM Stefanova, Antoaneta 2393 BUL 2902257 0
2 IM Salimova, Nurgyul 2385 BUL 2915138 0
3 WGM Krasteva, Beloslava 2316 BUL 2922029 0
4 WGM Toncheva, Nadya 2332 BUL 2924056 0
5 WGM Radeva, Viktoria 2292 BUL 2915405 0

...36 teams

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Topics: European Team Championship 2025
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.
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