ChessBase: The Ukrainian teams celebrated a double triumph at the recent European Team Championship: the men won gold and the women took silver. What does such a success mean in these times?
Adrian Mikhalchishin: It was a pleasant surprise for all of us—and in some ways unexpected. The story behind it is long. Ukraine has won two Chess Olympiads in the 21st century under the guidance of a great trainer and team captain, IGM Vladimir Tukmakov, who had already led Soviet youth teams back in the 1980s.
A tragic moment came at the Olympiad in Baku 2016: under our new captain from the Lviv school, GM Alex Sulypa, the team finished second on tiebreak behind the United States—only because German GM Matthias Blübaum won a completely lost position against a weak opponent in the final round.
The women’s team won the Olympiad in 2022. At European Team Championships, however, results had long been modest. The women last won gold in 1992 in Debrecen; the men finished second there the same year. Things changed in Batumi in 2019, when a single unfortunate move by Vasyl Ivanchuk cost the men’s team gold. In 2021 in Slovenia, Ukraine finally won the title again.
The full-scale war in 2022 disrupted everything. Captain Sulypa left to coach Poland, many players emigrated, and the leadership of the federation changed.
How did you come to take on coaching duties again?
Adrian Mikhalchishin: The federation approached Alexander [Beliavsky], who had represented Ukraine for decades but had played for Slovenia for the last 30 years. We discussed the situation and felt we had a duty to return during wartime.
In 2023 it proved impossible to assemble a men’s team—an enormous blow for Ukrainian chess. The Olympiad in Budapest 2024 also went poorly. Only in 2025 did vice president Volodymyr Kovalchuk secure proper funding again. In August, Alexander asked me to join as team trainer. For me this was a moral obligation: I had represented Ukraine as a player since 1969 and trained many junior teams in the 1980s.
Adrian Mikhalchishin and Alexander Beliavsky
The political situation in Georgia, where the European Team Championship was held, added complications. GM Natalia Zhukova was questioned twice at the border; GM Igor Glek was detained for a few hours. Only the intervention of Akaki Iashvili, the President of the Georgian Federation, resolved these issues.
You two shared coaching duties for the men’s team. How did you divide the tasks?
Alexander Beliavsky: I worked mainly with Samunenkov, while Adrian helped Volokitin. The others—Ponomariov, Korobov, and Kovalenko—have very stable repertoires.
What exactly was your role during the tournament?
Alexander Beliavsky: As captain, I submitted the line-up for each round, evaluated draw offers when necessary, and signed match protocols with the arbiter.
Adrian Mikhalchishin: Alex also led the key team meetings every evening. We analysed the day’s games, looked at rival teams, and discussed line-ups for the next round. Some choices were tough—who needed rest, who had an unfavourable personal score. But no one ever said, “I have secured a board medal; I don’t want to play anymore.”
And which tasks did Adrian have?
Alexander Beliavsky: Adrian assisted Volokitin and any other player who needed help.
Adrian Mikhalchishin: My main task was to limit Volokitin’s preparation—he goes too deep. His analyses are always 40 moves long! I also led the team's daily one-hour walk, “tanking oxygen,” as Botvinnik advised. These walks and shared meals strengthened team morale. I also worked with Ihor Kovalenko when needed.
What criteria were used to assemble the team? Were all the strong players available?
Alexander Beliavsky: After the modest result at the Olympiad in Budapest, we wanted new energy. Choosing Kovalenko and Samunenkov for the team was crucial.
A key issue was board one: Ivanchuk wanted it, but at 56 the responsibility is too big in such tense events. We were also concerned about recent form: at the Samarkand FIDE Grand Swiss, Volokitin and Korobov scored below 50 percent, and Ponomariov made only draws.
Adrian Mikhalchishin: Losing Kirill Shevchenko to Romania was a huge blow. Fortunately, we have Ihor Samunenkov, who is trained by GM Alex Chernin.
Ihor Samunenkov
However, two former top players still decline to play for the national team. We expected Ponomariov to neutralise strong players from other teams on board one, Volokitin and Korobov to hold board two, and relied on the two Ihors for wins. Both of us have trained medal-winning teams, so we knew what fighting spirit requires.
How do you explain the success of both teams? What were the key matches?
Alexander Beliavsky: As the ninth seed, we were not considered medal contenders. But team events work differently: Armenia’s three Olympiad wins show how far team spirit can carry a squad. We had that spirit.
The form of Kovalenko and Samunenkov was crucial. We won all matches against higher-rated teams except the loss to Azerbaijan in the penultimate round. Kovalenko lacked practice after three years in the army, so we organised a training match between him and Samunenkov in Morshyn. It helped both enormously.
Ihor Kovalenko
We had no expectations—just the intention to play good chess. I remembered World Champion Tigran Petrosian’s advice from our training sessions: “Relax and enjoy. That is how I became World Champion.”
Adrian Mikhalchishin: The key game of the European Team Championship was Blübaum–Volokitin, where Andrei showed great dynamism. Unfortunately, he fell ill with angina afterwards.
Kovalenko was exceptionally confident; before playing Van Wely he said, “I just need to get through the opening. I know what to do afterwards.” And he won brilliantly. Throughout the event we had only two bad positions—showing we played the best chess.
The organisation of the event was excellent, though the food might have been better. Anti-cheating personnel were a nuisance: they checked our players disproportionately and just raised costs for the organisers.
Are there players who deserve special mention?
Adrian Mikhalchishin: Ponomariov held everything on the top board—he drew all his games and twice missed wins in completely winning positions. Korobov struggled most of the event but neutralised Mickey Adams in an important game.
The women’s team suffered because three Olympic champions did not play in Batumi but newcomer Bozhena Piddubna excelled after a rough start. The team deserved gold—they even beat Poland—but a few unlucky drawn matches left them with silver.
Many players on the team have less Elo than they had at previous points in their career, yet they still seem just as strong. Why is that?
Alexander Beliavsky: Except for Samunenkov, our players are nearing 40; ratings fall slightly with age, but the players remain extremely dangerous.
Adrian Mikhalchishin: Players who have already won major team events possess a “winner’s memory.” This mentality shifts everything when they play together. It also explains why the highly talented German team has always fought for medals since winning gold at the European Team Championship 2013.
What is chess life like in Ukraine during these difficult days of war? How is organisation even possible?
Alexander Beliavsky: Western Ukraine is relatively safe; most events now take place there, including the last national championships.
Adrian Mikhalchishin: Strong international tournaments have disappeared because foreigners fear travelling to Ukraine. Sponsors instead support junior events and local festivals like the Morshyn Festival. The famous Lviv GM club, once boasting 23 grandmasters, can now organise only occasional blitz tournaments with four or five participants.
However, a major foundation plans to publish ten children’s books next year and sponsor an online school with top trainers. Surprisingly, there are even events in Kharkiv and Dnipro—almost on the front line.
Was the success celebrated in Ukraine? Does chess still have meaning in society?
Alexander Beliavsky: Celebrations are planned. The team is to meet state leaders, and players have been nominated for state medals.
Adrian Mikhalchishin: Media attention increased only after round five, when both teams were among the leaders. There were receptions in Kharkiv and Lviv. High-level celebrations in Kyiv are expected in December. Chess has a long tradition in Ukraine; even in wartime, such a success is seen as a major achievement.
Have many chess players had to go to the front? Have any been killed?
Alexander Beliavsky: Every man aged 18 to 60 must serve if called. Kovalenko spent three years on the battlefield and received the “For Courage” medal. We know of no grandmaster casualties, but the wider chess community has suffered losses.
Adrian Mikhalchishin: My son is in the army. Some players who left Ukraine and did not return are in a difficult moral position. To date, Russia has killed 40–50 Ukrainian chess players, including trainers and juniors. How can they claim that sport is “outside politics” while bombing our cities?
How does the war affect your daily life?
Alexander Beliavsky: Air-raid alerts shape our routines, and blackouts remind us daily of the situation. Still, people accept these hardships as the price of freedom.
Adrian Mikhalchishin: We see destruction everywhere. I have seen missiles fly over my house; drones are the worst. We now have more than twelve hours without electricity per day. Children sometimes have to study by candlelight.
The Lviv chess school
Travel has become extremely difficult: a journey that once took six hours now takes more than 24.
What are your hopes and wishes for the future?
Alexander Beliavsky: We hope Russia will exhaust its resources within six to eight months, and that Europe continues supporting Ukraine.
Adrian Mikhalchishin: The saddest fact is that the US, Britain, and Russia removed Ukraine’s nuclear weapons in Budapest and then failed to guarantee the safety of our borders. Support from ECU and FIDE for Ukrainian players has also diminished.
