Novy Bor claim 14th Czech Extraliga title

by Shahid Ahmed
4/2/2025 – Nový Bor claimed their 14th Czech Extraliga title, finishing three points clear of the competition with a dominant performance. Pentala Harikrishna played a key role, remaining unbeaten and delivering a standout 2868-rated performance. Lysá nad Labem and BŠŠ Frýdek-Místek secured second and third place, respectively. Nový Bor, also the reigning European Club Cup champion, continue to assert their dominance in Czech team chess. | Photo: Nový Bor Chess Club
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European champions grab national title

Nový Bor Chess Club won the Czech Extraliga 2024–25 for the 14th time. They dominated the competition, scoring 30 out of 33 points and finishing three points ahead of their closest rivals. Lysá nad Labem and BŠŠ Frýdek-Místek both scored 27 points, securing second and third place, respectively, based on tiebreak criteria.

Pentala Harikrishna was a key contributor to Nový Bor's success. He remained unbeaten, scoring 4½/5 with a performance rating of 2868. Widely regarded as one of the most dependable team players in chess, Harikrishna has played a crucial role in league-winning teams across the world. Nový Bor are also the reigning champions of the European Club Cup, and have further cemented their dominance.

Team captain Petr Boleslav praised his players' efforts:

After winning European gold, we now triumph in the Czech Extraliga as well. A fantastic season! A big salute and huge thanks to all the players for securing our 14th championship!

A standout moment from the tournament came in round 10, when Harikrishna delivered a striking checkmate against IM Jakub Seemann. His opponent's decisive error, 53.Ka3??, allowed Harikrishna to conclude the game in style.

53...Rb2, threatening mate on a2, 54.Nxb2 Bd6#

Novy Bor Chess Club

The Nový Bor squad celebrating their victory | Photo: Nový Bor Chess Club

Czech Chess Extraliga

Second place went to Výstaviště Lysá nad Labem | Photo: Šachový svaz České republiky (Chess Federation of the Czech Republic)

Czech Chess Extraliga

BŠŠ Frýdek-Místek came in third | Photo: Šachový svaz České republiky (Chess Federation of the Czech Republic)

Final standings

Rk. Team  TB1 
1 1. Novoborský ŠK 30
2 Výstaviště Lysá nad Labem 27
3 BŠŠ Frýdek-Místek 27
4 Slavia Kroměříž 20
5 Šachový klub Moravská Slavia 18
6 Sigil Fund Pardubice 18
7 ŠK Zikuda Turnov 16
8 ŠK Slavoj Poruba 14
9 OAZA loznice.cz 9
10 ŠŠ Vávra a Černoušek Unichess 8
11 GASCO Pardubice 4
12 ŠK Líně 3

Full technical info on Chess-Results...

Nový Bor's individual performances

Bo. Name Rtg FED FideID Pts. Games RtgAvg
2 GM Wojtaszek, Radoslaw 2659 POL 1118358 1,5 2 2593
3 GM Harikrishna, Pentala 2704 IND 5007003 4,5 5 2502
4 GM Navara, David 2663 CZE 309095 7,5 11 2495
5 GM Nguyen, Thai Dai Van 2677 CZE 358878 6,5 9 2525
6 GM Grandelius, Nils 2644 SWE 1710400 4 6 2493
7 GM Anton, Guijarro David 2663 ESP 2285525 1,5 2 2537
8 GM Shirov, Alexei 2652 ESP 2209390 2 2 2327
9 GM Ragger, Markus 2581 AUT 1610856 6 8 2426
10 GM Žilka, Štěpán 2525 CZE 315303 6,5 11 2363
11 GM Bartel, Mateusz 2621 POL 1112635 4,5 6 2380
13 IM Kriebel, Tadeáš 2514 CZE 330027 6,5 9 2306
14 CM Baláček, Tadeáš 2352 CZE 327646 6 9 2295
15 FM Chovan, Milan 2317 SVK 14933691 1,5 2 1986
16 IM Kulhánek, Tomáš 2320 CZE 309656 3 5 2319
17 FM Vojta, Jakub 2269 CZE 382515 0,5 1 2361

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Shahid Ahmed is the senior coordinator and editor of ChessBase India. He enjoys covering chess tournaments and also likes to play in chess events from time to time.