ECCC R1: Arjun Erigaisi and Gukesh make a winning start, Praggnanandhaa suffers a shocking loss

by Shahid Ahmed - 21/10/2024

GM D Gukesh and GM Arjun Erigaisi scored emphatic victories over their opponents in the first round of 39th European Chess Club Cup 2024. GM R Praggnanandhaa however suffered a shocking loss against IM Francois Godart. Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa's team, the top seed in the Open category, Superchess defeated Gambit Bonnevoie I by 5-1. Arjun's team Alkaloid won against Wasa SK by 0.5-5.5. GM R Vaishali also won her first game against WGM Anastasiya Rakhmangulova. Her team, top seed in the Women's event - Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo scored a 4-0 whitewash victory over SK JAVES Modra. WGM Savitha Shri B drew with two-time World Blitz Women's champion, IM Bibisara Assaubayeva. Round 2 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: European Chess Club Cup

Favorite teams win comfortably

GM S L Narayanan, GM Leon Luke Mendonca and GM Aryan Chopra won their respective games against IM Dan Cramling, FM Kirill Chukavin and FM Uku Valner respectively. Narayanan's team Alkaloid won 0.5-5.5 against Wasa SK. Leon and Aryan's team - Vados Chess Club defeated SK Reval-Sport. GM Pentala Harikrishna was held to a draw by FM Luuk Baselmans. Harikrishna's team, Novy Bor Chess Club won against De Stukkenjagers by 5.5-0.5. WGM Savitha Shri B's team Rudar Kostolac lost to Garuda Ajka BSK, although she and her teammate WGM Nadya Toncheva held their stronger opponents - IM Bibisara Assaubayeva and GM Bella Khotenashvili to a draw each.

World Championship Challenger - D Gukesh is in fantastic touch, while his teammate R Praggnanandhaa had a rough start | Photo: European Chess Club Cup

Rested Indians in Round 1: GM Vidit Gujrathi (Novy Bor Chess Club), GM Aravindh Chithambaram (Alkaloid), GM Nihal Sarin (Turkish Airlines) and IM Divya Deshmukh (Garuda Ajka BSK).

Open: SuperChess - Gambit Bonnevoie I: 5-1

GM D Gukesh (2794), GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac (2691), GM Javokhir Sindarov (2668), GM Constantin Lupulescu (2583) and GM Ivan Sokolov (2589) scored the wins for Superchess against GM Margeir Petursson (2405), FM Stephen Dishman (2358), CM Slobodan J Filipovic (2233), FM Jan Bednarich (2212) and Oskar Bjarnason (2115) respectively. Only GM R Praggnanandhaa (2746) suffered a loss against IM Francois Godart (2377).

Gukesh - Margeir

Position after 18...a5?

Gukesh is in such a fine touch that he has no trouble picking up on a minute mistake. 18...a5? allowed White to go for 19.b5 squeezing Black's pieces and limiting their mobilization. 19...Nc5 20.0-0 Nd6 21.h4 Qe7 22.g3 Rac8 23.Rc1 Rc7 24.Bxc5 bxc5 25.a4 Nf5 26.Nc4 Nd4 Black might have improved his knight's position at the cost of losing the a5-pawn 27.Nxa5 Ra8 28.Nxb7 Rxb7 29.Rc4 Gukesh kept improving his pieces and the position to score a win.

D Gukesh scored an emphatic victory over GM Margeir Petursson | Photo: European Chess Club Cup

Godart - Praggnanandhaa

Position after 34.Rc5

IM Francois Godart capitalized on his c6-passed pawn using his double rooks and knight, crippling Black's pieces. 34.Rc5 g6 35.Kf2 Bf7 36.Re5+ Kf8 37.Rd6 Be8 38.Nd8 Rcc8?? 39.c7! soon Black lost the bishop and eventually the game.

Superchess - Gambit Bonnevoie I: 5-1

Replay Superchess - Gambit Bonnevoie I games

Wasa SK - Alkaloid: 0.5-5.5

GM Arjun Erigaisi (2797), GM Wei Yi (2763), GM Yangyi Yu (2717), GM S L Narayanan (2640) and IM Filip Pancevski (2410) scored the wins over GM Tom Wedberg (2375), FM Joar Ostlund (2339), FM Matiss Mustaps (2377), IM Dan Cramling (2318) and CM Birger Wenzel (2008) respectively. Only GM Velimir Ivic (2610) conceded the sole draw against FM Egons Lavendelis (2280).

Wedberg - Arjun

Final position after 34...Rg8

If you keep your engine switched off, you will realize that White's resignation is absolutely justified. Black's attack is crashing through on the kingside. 35.Qd5 is not easy to spot. It is a computer defence, not a human one. 35...f3 36.Qd7+ Qxd7 37.cxd7 Rxg2+ 38.Kf1 Rag8 39.Ng1 Bg3 40.Nxf3 Rf2+ and computer still says it is equal as White has two split passed pawns on the queenside. Well, two humans were playing the game and that is where the beauty lies.

World no.3 - GM Arjun Erigaisi started with a win against GM Tom Wedberg | Photo: European Chess Club Cup

Wasa SK - Alkaloid: 0.5-5.5

Replay Wasa SK - Alkaloid games

Women: Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo - SK JAVES Modra: 4-0

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina (2533), GM R Vaishali (2487), IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (2478) and GM Elisabeth Paehtz (2458) won all their respective games against WGM Andrea Navrotescu (2352), WGM Anastasiya Rakhmangulova (2302), WFM Tihana Ivekovic (2124) and WFM Ema Walter (2044).

Rakhmangulova - Vaishali

Position after 30.Nc2??

In an already difficult position, WGM Anastasiya Rakhmangulova blundered 30.Nc2?? Find out the winning combination which GM R Vaishali executed in the game.

GM R Vaishali made a winning start | Photo: European Chess Club Cup

Top seed Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo scored a whitewash in the first round | Photo: European Chess Club Cup

Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo - SK JAVES Modra: 4-0

Replay Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo - SK JAVES Modra games

WGM Savitha Shri B (Rudar Kostolac) - IM Bibisara Assaubayaeva (Garuda Ajka BSK) : 0.5-0.5 | Photo: European Chess Club Cup

Players in action | Photo: European Chess Club Cup

Official Commentators - GM Alojzije Jankovic (CRO) and Dragana Nikolovska (MKD) | Photo: European Chess Club Cup

Watch live stream

Replay European Chess Club Cup 2024 Round 1 Live Commentary by GM Alojzije Jankovic (CRO) and Dragana Nikolovska (MKD) | Video: European Chess Union

Everyday round starts at 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST from 20th to 25th October 2024. The final round on 26th October starts 2 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. The seven-round Swiss system tournament has a time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting from move one. The tournament will be taking place at Hotel Zepter in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia.

Replay Round 1 Open games

Replay Round 1 Women games

Round 1 Open results

No.	Team	Team	Res.	:	Res.
1	SuperChess	Gambit Bonnevoie I	5	:	1
2	Wasa SK	Alkaloid	½	:	5½
3	Novy Bor Chess Club	De Stukkenjagers	5½	:	½
4	Drejtesia-Trokadero	Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club	½	:	5½
5	Turkish Airlines	SV Erkenschwick	5	:	1
6	Blackthorne	TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana	0	:	6
7	Sentimento Ajka BSK	Viking Chess Club	5	:	1
8	Schaakclub De Pluspion Wachtebeke	Tuxera Aquaprofit Nagykanizsai Sakk Klub	½	:	5½
9	C'Chartres Echecs	Raahen Linnoitus	6	:	0
10	SOSS	Vugar Gashimov	½	:	5½

Details

Standings after Round 1

Rk.	SNo	Team	Games	+	TB1	TB3
1	6	TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana	1	1	2	6
	9	C'Chartres Echecs	1	1	2	6
	17	Elektroprivreda	1	1	2	6
	20	SK Rockaden	1	1	2	6
	30	FC ST.Pauli 1910 eV Sabt	1	1	2	6
	32	Wood Green	1	1	2	6
	35	Koninklijke Brugse Schaakkring vzw	1	1	2	6
	38	Skakklubben Nordkalotten	1	1	2	6
	40	Breidablik Chess Club	1	1	2	6
	42	Rishon Le Zion B	1	1	2	6

Details

Round 2 pairings

No.	Team	Team	:
1	Etude Ramat Gan Dov Porat Memorial	SuperChess	:
2	Alkaloid	ŠK K CERO INVEST Nitra	:
3	C.A. Silla Integrant Col-lectius	Novy Bor Chess Club	:
4	Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club	LSG	:
5	GAMBIT ASEE	Turkish Airlines	:
6	TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana	Perfect	:
7	ŠK Dunajská Streda	Sentimento Ajka BSK	:
8	Tuxera Aquaprofit Nagykanizsai Sakk Klub	The Sharks	:
9	FC ST.Pauli 1910 eV Sabt	C'Chartres Echecs	:
10	Vugar Gashimov	Lunds ASK	:

Details

Round 1 Women results

No.	Team	Team	Res.	:	Res.
1	Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo	SK JAVES Modra	4	:	0
2	Rudar Kostolac	Garuda Ajka BSK	1	:	3
3	TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana	Wasa SK	4	:	0
4	Napredak Zenica	SuperChess Club	½	:	3½
5	Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica	Schachgesellschaft Solingen B	4	:	0
6	Rishon Le Zion	MSK CENTAR	½	:	3½
7	Gambit Bonnevoie	She Plays To Win Lionesses	2½	:	1½
8	SK Zmaj	Schachgesellschaft Solingen A	1½	:	2½
9	Crvena zvezda - Data Driven Lab	Tallinn Chess Club	3	:	1

Details

Standings after Round 1

Rk.	SNo	Team	Games	+	-	TB1	TB3	TB4	TB5
1	1	Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo	1	1	0	2	4	0	0
	3	TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana	1	1	0	2	4	0	0
	5	Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica	1	1	0	2	4	0	0
4	4	SuperChess Club	1	1	0	2	3,5	0,5	0,5
	6	MSK CENTAR	1	1	0	2	3,5	0,5	0,5
6	2	Garuda Ajka BSK	1	1	0	2	3	1	1
	9	Crvena zvezda - Data Driven Lab	1	1	0	2	3	1	1
8	7	Gambit Bonnevoie	1	1	0	2	2,5	1,5	1,5
	8	Schachgesellschaft Solingen A	1	1	0	2	2,5	1,5	1,5
10	16	She Plays To Win Lionesses	1	0	1	0	1,5	2,5	0

Details

Round 2 pairings

No.	Team	Team	:
1	Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica	Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo	:
2	Garuda Ajka BSK	MSK CENTAR	:
3	Gambit Bonnevoie	TAJFUN-ŠK Ljubljana	:
4	SuperChess Club	Schachgesellschaft Solingen A	:
5	SK JAVES Modra	Crvena zvezda - Data Driven Lab	:
6	Rishon Le Zion	Rudar Kostolac	:
7	Wasa SK	She Plays To Win Lionesses	:
8	SK Zmaj	Napredak Zenica	:
9	Schachgesellschaft Solingen B	Tallinn Chess Club	:

Details

Links

Official site

Tournament Regulations

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