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
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.
| 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 |
| 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 |
