Open Section
The 31st European Club Cup 2015 commenced yesterday at Skopje, FYROM. The tournament is a 7-round Swiss event featuring 50 club teams from all over the Europe. As many as 5 teams boast an average rating of above 2700. Also, two Indians players – Harikrishna and Sasikiran – form a part of this event, with both of them representing the 6th-seeded Czech team ‘Ave Novi Bor’.
The first round went as per expectations with most of the top-seeded teams recording easy victories. However, in individual battles, a few top-level players like Grischuk, Li Chao, Ivanchuk, Vachier-Lagrave, Leko, Dominguez and Navara could only manage draws against their much less-fancied opponents whilst GM David Howell suffered a shock defeat at the hands of IM Diermair Andreas. This victory by Diermair also allowed his 43rd seeded team to notch up a surprise 3-3 draw against 18th seeded ‘Cheddleton’.
Complete Round 1 Results: Here
Women’s Section
The Women’s Section features a total of 12 teams, with the Georgian team ‘Nona’ starting as the top-ranked side. Just as in the open section, the first round matches were won easily by the top-seeded teams.
Complete Round 1 Results: Here