The İş Bank Chess League 2008

The Turkish İş Bank Chess Leauge took place in Izmit, from June 23 to July 3. The venue was the Kartepe Green Park Resort Hotel, a famous hotel on Kartepe, a mountain very close to Izmit (the eastern neighbour city of Istanbul) and it means “Snow Mountain” literally, which explains the reason the venue also being a famous skiing center. The mountain’s altitude is 1750 m.

The League was won by the Truva Chess Club from Adana, which has a combination of Azerbaijani grandmasters and a Georgian youngster, Nana Dzagnidze, with Turkish heavyweights. The club won all their matches, fifteen out of fifteen. There was a close race for second spot between Turkish Airlines and Manisa Doruk College. The former won and caught up, but Manisa team had the better board points, and they were the ones to take the second spot.

Final standings

Links

• İş Bank Chess Leauge 2008 web site (Turkish)
• Turkish Chess Federation (bilingual Turkish and English)
• Previous ChessBase report
• All results
• Cross table of the league
• Games in PGN (top right button)

Pictorial impressions from Izmit

By WGM Anastasiya Karlovich and Özgür Akman

A view of Izmit, the administrative center of Kocali province (Nicomedia is the ancient Greek name), a city in the most industrialized region of Turkey. The population of the city center is close to 250,000, and the total population is close to 580,000.

Adana Truva won all of 15 of their matches, including the ones against their major opponents Turkish Airlines and Manisa Doruk College – which might explain why they can’t hide their smiling faces during the game.

Serbian GM Dragan Solak, 2630, scored 7 out of 11, with a 2574 performance. He is married to a former Turkish national player Yildiz Çavusoglu, who is also playing in the league.

GM Farid Abbasov and FM Yakup Bayram playing Tarsus Zeka Chess Club

A late evening post-mortem of the game between GM Rauf Mamedov (Manisa Doruk College) and IM Umut Atakisi (Besiktas). IM Atakisi is a three-time Turkish Champion, the manager of Besiktas JK. FM Selim Çitak, who is kibizing, is a strong poker player but also a solid first board.

Burak Firat, another youngster from Izmir, aged 15, member of the U16 team which took Silver in the 2007 U18 European Team Championship in Subotica. Burak is rated 2189, and also took part in the Turkish Championship 2008.

Truva’s Azeri GM Eltaj Safarli, the winner of Essent Open 2007, rated 2524. He scored 10 out of 14, performed below his rating at 2474, but still was the striker of the team.

Another familiar friend, Özgür Solakoglu, manager of the national team and board member of the TCF, but this time playing in the league for Ted Ankara Kolejliler. Note the cartoon on his t-shirt reflecting his view on marriage.

One of the most solid Turkish players, IM Baris Esen, from Adana Truva, rated 2451, the captain of the team. He scored 12 out of 14 and his performance was 2445.

Georgian GM Konstanine Shanava, playing for Antalya Çallispor

Melisa Birgelir playing for Besiktas

Vahap Sanal, aged nine, a talented kid from Izmir, playing for Manisa Doruk College. Vahap narrowly missed winning the World Under 8 Championship, but later won a bronze medal in the World Schools Chess Championship Under 9 category last October in Batumi. Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey and the powerhouse of youth chess in the country.

Batuhan Dastan, 9, playing for Bursa Tophane

IM Nana Dzagnidze, playing for the leaders Adana Truva, rated 2443, scored 12.0/14. If you consider that there are many players rated over 2400 on the women’s boards, the result is simply impressive.

IM Nino Khurtsidze, 2413, playing for Denizli Erbakir, scored 10 out of 14

Burçe Serra Koçkan, a Turkish girl who is studying medicine in Odessa, Ukraine. What a coincidence that she is the teammate (in the Pamukkale University team) and roommate of one of your reporters, Anastasiya Karlovich.

"We are the champions" – the Truva Chess Club posing a family picture with their first championship trophy

A tour around the hall with the trophy by the victorious Truva players IM Haznedaroglu and Yilmaz

Turkish Airlines squad lifting the trophy, with Melia Salome and Mariya Muzychuk

The team posing together

The Manisa Doruk College team posing together in the closing ceremony

All of the members of the first three clubs posing a family picture together with TCF president Ali Nihat Yazici

Even though they lost their title the Black Eages (nickname for Besiktas) are still in high spirits