European Team Championships in Crete, Greece

European Team Chess Championships 2007

Crete, Greece / 27 October - 7 November

The European Team Championship is taking place in Crete, Greece. It is a nine round Swiss team tournament, with one general section and one section for the women's teams, considered as separate competitions. According to FIDE rules, the time controls are 90 min for 40 moves + 30 min for the rest of the game + 30 sec increment for every move played starting from the first move.

The players are accommodated (with full board included) in the five-start Creta Maris Hotel, which is also the tournament venue. The playing hall's capacity is 900 people and the total area 2800 square meters.

The five-start Creta Maris Hotel, where the players reside and the games are played

The beach front of the hotel, where you will find the players in the mornings

...or in the hotel swimming pool, just before you reach the beach

Inside the hotel it is all about chess

The players collected in Crete are very impressive. In the unrestricted ("men's") section there are 197 players of whom 66 are rated 2600 or higher. The Russian team, with Peter Svidler, Alexander Morozevich, Alexander Grischuk, Evgeny Alekseev and Dmitry Jakovenko, is the strongest with no player below 2700 and the average rating is 2726. The Ukraine team, led by top seeded player Vassily Ivanchuk, has an average rating of 2689; Azerbaijan, led by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, averages 2671; Armenia led by Levon Aronian has an average of 2677; and Bulgaria led by Veselin Topalov an average of 2656.

Top players men (2650+, full list of 197 players here)

In the women's section there are 146 players, of whom six are full ("male") GMs, and 35 are rated over 2400. The top team is again Russia, led by Alexandra Kosteniuk and averaging 2473 Elo points. The second strongest team, Georgia, is led by Maia Chiburdanidze and has an average rating of 2449; and third is Ukraine, led by Kateryna Lahno, with an average of 2441.

Top players women (2400+, Full list of 146 players here)

Round one report

The first round of the European Team Chess Championship started off with empty chairs where the team of Bosnia and Herzegovina should have been facing the Ukrainian team. The Bosnians had not turned up and were forfeited. The Russians had a tough fight, but eventually beat Sweden 3.5:0.5. Azerbaidjan trounced Turkey 4:0; Bulgaria squeaked by Lithuania 2.5:1.5; while Montenegro, playing at this international level for the first time, demolished Poland 3.5:0.5.

Results of round one (men's section)

In the women's section Russia defeated Israel 3.5:0.5. That was an expected result. But Georgia lost to Lithuania and Ukraine to Azerbaijan, both by 1.5:2.5.

Results of the women's section (full results here)

Schedule

Links

• Official tournament site
• All results of the men's section and of the women's section
• No games available so far