Gold to Russian Women
11/6/2017 – The Women's event gold goes to Russia for the second straight year as they blanked Turkey 4 : 0 to clinch with a round to spare. The silver and bronze medal battle is between Georgia, Poland, Ukraine and Armenia. IM Irene Sukandar looks at key moments from Round 8. | Photo: EuroTeams2017.com
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Russian women repeat champions
After taking the sole lead in Round 4 with a crucial win over main rivals Georgia, the Russian team never relinquished their grip, and a final sweep of Turkey in the eighth round has already assured them first place in Crete regardless of the outcome of Monday's play.
Russian women’s team wins ETCC with one round to go. Our congratulations! Photo: @photochess https://t.co/qEPSSwVkUw pic.twitter.com/GHtfUlPYKq
— RCF (@ruchess_eng) November 5, 2017
Poland ended Georgia's hopes on Sunday, winnin their match 3 : 1 and the two teams will fight for the silver and bronze medals.
Ukraine kept themselves in medel contention with a narrow 2½ : ½ win over Spain. In the battle of the "Annas", Ana Matnadze scored an impressive win over former Women's World Champion Anna Ushenina, which included a mate-in-three tactic:
Anna Muzychuk vs. Sabrina Vega | Photo: EuroTeams2017.com
Ukraine powered through with wins from Natalia Zhukova and Inna Gaponenko, but Spain was also successful on board one, as Sabrina Vega held the Women's World Champion in rapid and blitz to a draw with black.
Natalia Zhukova with team captain Mikhail Brodsky | Photo: EuroTeams2017.com
Notes by IM Irene Sukandar
Chess Endgames 8 - Practical Rook Endgames
Rook endings are amongst the most frequently encountered endgames there are, and so your training effort will be quickly repaid in the form of half and full points. Knowing even a few rules of thumb and key methods makes life a great deal easier and provides a guiding light even in complex positions. This DVD focuses on the important themes which are to be found in common rook endings.
Speaking of rook endgames, there was a nice endgame lesson on board 12 in Hungary's win over Croatia.
Notes by IM Irene Sukandar
Poland held Ukraine to a draw in Round 7, thanks to a win on board 4 from Klaudia Kulon.
Klaudia Kulon speask to Fiona Steil-Antoni | ETCC YouTube
That set the stage for their upset of Georgia, and both teams face weaker opposition in the final round as they bid for a silver medal.
Top Results for Round 8
| No. | Team | MP | Res. | : | Res. | MP | Team |
| 1 | Turkey | 10 | 0 | : | 4 | 13 | Russia |
| 2 | Poland | 10 | 3 | : | 1 | 12 | Georgia |
| 3 | Italy | 9 | 2 | : | 2 | 9 | Romania |
| 4 | Ukraine | 9 | 2½ | : | 1½ | 9 | Spain |
| 5 | Czech Republic | 8 | 1½ | : | 2½ | 9 | Armenia |
| 6 | Serbia | 8 | 2 | : | 2 | 8 | Netherlands |
| 7 | France | 8 | 1 | : | 3 | 7 | Azerbaijan |
| 8 | Switzerland | 7 | 0 | : | 4 | 7 | Israel |
| 9 | England | 7 | 1½ | : | 2½ | 7 | Austria |
| 10 | Slovenia | 6 | 1½ | : | 2½ | 6 | Belarus |
Current standings (Top 10)
| Rk. | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 |
| 1 | Russia | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 198,5 |
| 2 | Georgia | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 194,0 |
| 3 | Poland | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 174,0 |
| 4 | Ukraine | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 166,5 |
| 5 | Armenia | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 122,0 |
| 6 | Italy | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 141,5 |
| 7 | Romania | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 125,5 |
| 8 | Turkey | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 106,0 |
| 9 | Spain | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 149,5 |
| 10 | Israel | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 133,5 |
