Narrow victories at the World Senior Championships

by André Schulz
11/6/2023 – In the end, the favourites prevailed at the Senior World Championships, but only just. Michael Adams and John Nunn had to settle for a photo finish in the two open events, the 50+ and the 65+. Monica Calzetta Ruiz and Galina Strutinskaia won the senior women's titles. | Photos: Patricia Claros

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The World Senior Championships 2023 ended on Sunday in Terrasini, a suburb of Palermo in Sicily. About 250 grandmasters, former professionals and strong amateurs, men and women, had travelled to Sicily to enjoy chess and the company of like-minded people in a picturesque setting, and perhaps to win one of the Senior World Championship titles. The former fishing village of Terrasini is surrounded by mountains on the Gulf of Castellammare, on a very winding coastline about 30 kilometres from Palermo.

The World Senior Championships have been held for some time in the 50+ and 65+ age groups, with men and women playing in the same tournament, a nine-round Swiss. A total of 72 players registered for the Open 50+ and 152 chess-loving seniors for the Open 65+.

Elo favourite in the 50+ tournament was Michael Adams, who with an Elo of 2670 is still one of the world's top professional chess players and several times winner of the British National Championship. He started with 4.5 out of 5, but then had a short dry spell of four draws. A final spurt of two wins saw Adams take the title, as he had a better tiebreak than Suat Atalik, who had the same number of points. Atalik even led before the final round, but only drew against Michele Godena in the final round.

Michael Adams (left) is the new Senior World Champion 50+

The first three of the World Senior Championships 50+

65+: Nunn wins in photo finish ahead of Ftacnik

In the 65+ group John Nunn was the top seed. Nunn started with five wins, followed by a draw and a loss. But two draws and two wins in the second half of the tournament were enough for Nunn to win the World Championship, because Lubomir Ftacnik won against Daniel Campora, who led at that point, in the final round. Nunn and Ftacnik finished with the same number of points, but Nunn finished first on tiebreak. Nikolay Legky came third ahead of Rainer Knaak, Daniel Campora, Rafael Vaganian and Alexander Reprintsev. 

John Nunn is 65+ World Champion

Lubomir Ftacnik finished second

The medalists

The Women's World Senior Championships

The titles in the Women's World Senior Championships went to Monica Calzetta Ruiz (50+) und Galina Strutinskaia (65+).

Monica Calzetta Ruiz

Galina Strutinskaia (left)

Final standings 50+

Rk. Name Pts.  Tb1 
1 ADAMS, Michael 8,5 0,5
2 ATALIK, Suat 8,5 0,5
3 NOVIK, Maxim 8 0
4 GODENA, Michele 8 0
5 MOROVIC FERNANDEZ, Ivan 7,5 0
6 STEFANSSON, Hannes 7,5 0
7 DLUGY, Maxim 7,5 0
8 CUMMINGS, David H. 7,5 0
9 NIKOLAIDIS, Konstantinos 7,5 0
10 HOLZKE, Frank 7,5 0
11 PRASAD, Devaki V 7 0
12 STURUA, Zurab 7 0
13 BISCHOFF, Klaus 7 0
14 MINASIAN, Artashes 7 0
15 MRVA, Martin 7 0
16 VLASSOV, Nikolai 7 0
17 MATAMOROS FRANCO, Carlos S. 7 0
18 VINTER-SCHOU, Uffe 7 0
19 PASCHALL, William 7 0
20 MUSSANTI, Diego 7 0
21 NADANIAN, Ashot 6,5 0
22 PAPADIMITRIOU, Loukas 6,5 0
23 CABE, Arlan 6,5 0
24 GOLOVCHUK, Oleg 6,5 0
25 GRATZ, Glen 6,5 0

72 players

Games 50+

Final standings 65+

Rk. Name Pts.  Tb1 
1 NUNN, John D M 8,5 0
2 FTACNIK, Lubomir 8,5 0
3 LEGKY, Nikolay A 8 0
4 KNAAK, Rainer 8 0
5 CAMPORA, Daniel H. 8 0
6 VAGANIAN, Rafael A 8 0
7 REPRINTSEV, Alexander 8 0
8 MADEIRA, Wagner Martins 7,5 0
9 RENMAN, Nils-Gustaf 7,5 0
10 ROOZE, Jan 7,5 0
11 ROOS, Louis 7,5 0
12 FERNANDEZ GARCIA, Jose Luis 7,5 0
13 PETRAN, Peter 7,5 0
14 BALASHOV, Yuri S 7,5 0
15 BIRNBOIM, Nathan 7,5 0
16 VAN RIEMSDIJK, Herman C. 7,5 0
17 FRICK, Christoph 7,5 0
18 MOLCHANOV, Mykola 7,5 0
19 MOEN, Ole Christian 7 0
20 CHAPMAN, Terry P D 7 0
21 JANSA, Vlastimil 7 0
22 KOEHLER, Gerhard Dr. 7 0
23 FURMAN, Boris 7 0
24 PIGOTT, John C 7 0
25 PEREIRA, Silvio Cunha 7 0

152 players

Games 65+

Final standings Women, 50+ and 65+

Rk. Name Pts.  Tb1 
1 CALZETTA RUIZ, Monica 8,5 0
2 STRUTINSKAIA, Galina 8 0
3 KLINOVA, Masha 7 0
4 MAKROPOULOU, Marina 7 0
5 TERELADZE, Sopio 7 0
6 KRASENKOWA, Elena 7 0
7 FOLKOVA, Martina 6,5 0
8 BURCHARDT, Brigitte 6,5 0
9 BOGUMIL, Tatiana 6,5 0
10 LAUTERBACH, Ingrid 6,5 0
11 MIKHAYLOVA, Irina 6 0
12 KHROPOVA, Larisa 6 0
13 GAPRINDASHVILI, Nona 6 0
14 LESZNER, Liliana 6 0
15 WAGNER-MICHEL, Annett 6 0
16 KIERZEK, Mira 5,5 0
17 DUBOIS, Martine 5,5 0
18 SOSNOWSKA, Elzbieta 5,5 0
19 NI, Polina 5 0
20 BALIUNIENE, Margarita 5 0
21 MILLIGAN, Helen 5 0
22 ALEKSANDROVA, Aleksandra 5 0
23 PANCU, Aureliana-Eugenia 5 0
24 SEIDEMANN, Ulricke 5 0
25 GOTTSCHALL, Ina 5 0
26 YAGUNOVA, Zinaida 4,5 0
27 MOLCHANOVA, Olena 4,5 0
28 ILANBEKOVA, Nurgul 4,5 0
29 HEID, Magdalene 4 0
30 SMITH, Vivian J 3 0
31 BELASH, Lyudmila 2 0
32 LOURENCO, Eva 1,5 0

Games

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André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.