European Individual Chess Championship

Summary

The European Individual Chess Championship is a chess tournament organised by the European Chess Union. It was established in 2000 and has since then taken place on a yearly basis. Apart from determining the European champions (open and women's), another objective of this tournament is to determine a number of players who qualify for the FIDE World Cup and the knockout Women's World Championship.

View of the tournament hall from the Open (Zegrze) 2005 event

Mode of play edit

The event consists of two separate tournaments; an open event, and a women's event. Female players may participate in the open section. Both are a Swiss system tournament, with a varying number of rounds. Historically, the only exception to this was the first Women's Championship tournament in 2000, which was held as a knockout tournament. In 2002, Judit Polgár narrowly missed out on the bronze medal in the open competition by losing a playoff match against Zurab Azmaiparashvili. In 2011, Polgár won the bronze medal in the open competition at Aix-les-Bains, France.

Apart from the first edition in 2000, where in case of a tie the Buchholz rating was used as a tie-breaker, rapid play playoff matches are used to determine the medal winners as well as the world championship qualifiers.

Controversy edit

There have been a number of controversies associated with the tournament:

  • At most venues, participants and accompanying persons have been obliged to stay at the "official hotel", appointed by the local organizers. The room rates for participants, however, have been significantly higher than for other hotel guests.[1][2] This in large part contributed to the founding of the ACP in 2003. Also the standard of the hotels as well as of the food has been a focus of complaints by players and journalists.
  • As the European Championships are part of the FIDE World Championship cycle, starting with the 2001 edition, the new, faster FIDE time control was used. This led to many complaints by the participants about increased stress, incessant time trouble and a steep deterioration of the quality of the games.[3][4]

Results (open) edit

Year Venue Gold Silver Bronze Players/rounds
2000   Saint-Vincent, Italy   Pavel Tregubov (RUS)   Aleksej Aleksandrov (BLR)   Tomasz Markowski (POL) 120 / 11
2001   Ohrid, Macedonia   Emil Sutovsky (ISR)   Ruslan Ponomariov (UKR)   Zurab Azmaiparashvili (GEO) 203 / 13
2002   Batumi, Georgia   Bartłomiej Macieja (POL)   Mikhail Gurevich (BEL)   Sergey Volkov (RUS) 101 / 13
2003   Silivri, Turkey   Zurab Azmaiparashvili (GEO)   Vladimir Malakhov (RUS)   Alexander Graf (GER) 207 / 13
2004   Antalya, Turkey   Vassily Ivanchuk (UKR)   Predrag Nikolić (BIH)   Levon Aronian (GER) 74 / 13
2005   Zegrze, Poland   Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (ROM)   Teimour Radjabov (AZE)   Levon Aronian (ARM) 229 / 13
2006   Kuşadası, Turkey   Zdenko Kožul (CRO)   Vassily Ivanchuk (UKR)   Kiril Georgiev (BUL) 138 / 11
2007   Dresden, Germany   Vladislav Tkachiev (FRA)   Emil Sutovsky (ISR)   Dmitry Jakovenko (RUS) 403 / 11
2008   Plovdiv, Bulgaria   Sergei Tiviakov (NED)   Sergei Movsesian (SVK)   Sergey Volkov (RUS) 323 / 11
2009   Budva, Montenegro   Evgeny Tomashevsky (RUS)   Vladimir Malakhov (RUS)   Baadur Jobava (GEO) 306 / 11
2010   Rijeka, Croatia   Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS)   Baadur Jobava (GEO)   Artyom Timofeev (RUS) 408 / 11
2011   Aix-les-Bains, France   Vladimir Potkin (RUS)   Radosław Wojtaszek (POL)   Judit Polgár (HUN) 393 / 11
2012   Plovdiv, Bulgaria   Dmitry Jakovenko (RUS)   Laurent Fressinet (FRA)   Vladimir Malakhov (RUS) 348 / 11
2013   Legnica, Poland   Alexander Moiseenko (UKR)   Evgeny Alekseev (RUS)   Evgeny Romanov (RUS) 286 / 11
2014   Yerevan, Armenia   Alexander Motylev (RUS)   David Antón Guijarro (ESP)   Vladimir Fedoseev (RUS) 257 / 11
2015   Jerusalem, Israel   Evgeniy Najer (RUS)   David Navara (CZE)   Mateusz Bartel (POL) 250 / 11
2016   Gjakova, Kosovo   Ernesto Inarkiev (RUS)   Igor Kovalenko (LAT)   Baadur Jobava (GEO) 245 / 11
2017   Minsk, Belarus   Maxim Matlakov (RUS)   Baadur Jobava (GEO)   Vladimir Fedoseev (RUS) 397 / 11
2018   Batumi, Georgia   Ivan Šarić (CRO)   Radosław Wojtaszek (POL)   Sanan Sjugirov (RUS) 302 / 11
2019   Skopje, North Macedonia   Vladislav Artemiev (RUS)   Nils Grandelius (SWE)   Kacper Piorun (POL) 361 / 11
2021   Reykjavík, Iceland   Anton Demchenko (RUS)   Vincent Keymer (GER)   Alexey Sarana (RUS) 180 / 11
2022   Brežice, Slovenia   Matthias Blübaum (GER)   Gabriel Sargissian (ARM)   Ivan Šarić (CRO) 317 / 11
2023   Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia   Alexey Sarana (FIDE)   Kirill Shevchenko (ROU)   Daniel Dardha (BEL) 484 / 11
2024 TBA, Israel

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 European Championship in Podčetrtek, Slovenia was postponed to 2022.[5]

Results (women) edit

Year Venue Gold Silver Bronze Players/rounds
2000   Batumi, Georgia   Natalia Zhukova (UKR)   Ekaterina Kovalevskaya (RUS)   Maia Chiburdanidze (GEO)
  Tatiana Stepovaya (RUS)
32 / K.O.
2001   Warsaw, Poland   Almira Skripchenko (MDA)   Ekaterina Kovalevskaya (RUS)   Ketevan Arakhamia (GEO) 157 / 11
2002   Varna, Bulgaria   Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL)   Lilit Mkrtchian (ARM)   Alisa Galliamova (RUS) 114 / 11
2003   Silivri, Turkey   Pia Cramling (SWE)   Viktorija Čmilytė (LTU)   Tatiana Kosintseva (RUS) 113 / 11
2004   Dresden, Germany   Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS)   Zhaoqin Peng (NED)   Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL) 108 / 12
2005   Chișinău, Moldova   Kateryna Lahno (UKR)   Nadezhda Kosintseva (RUS)   Yelena Dembo (GRE) 164 / 12
2006   Kuşadası, Turkey   Ekaterina Atalik (TUR)   Tea Bosboom-Lanchava (NED)   Lilit Mkrtchian (ARM) 96 / 11
2007   Dresden, Germany   Tatiana Kosintseva (RUS)   Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL)   Nadezhda Kosintseva (RUS) 150 / 11
2008   Plovdiv, Bulgaria   Kateryna Lahno (UKR)   Viktorija Čmilytė (LTU)   Anna Ushenina (UKR) 157 / 11
2009   Saint Petersburg, Russia   Tatiana Kosintseva (RUS)   Lilit Mkrtchian (ARM)   Natalia Pogonina (RUS) 168 / 11
2010   Rijeka, Croatia   Pia Cramling (SWE)   Viktorija Čmilytė (LTU)   Monika Soćko (POL) 158 / 11
2011   Tbilisi, Georgia   Viktorija Čmilytė (LTU)   Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL)   Elina Danielian (ARM) 158 / 11
2012   Gaziantep, Turkey   Valentina Gunina (RUS)   Tatiana Kosintseva (RUS)   Anna Muzychuk (SLO) 103 / 11
2013   Belgrade, Serbia   Hoang Thanh Trang (HUN)   Salome Melia (GEO)   Lilit Mkrtchian (ARM) 169 / 11
2014   Plovdiv, Bulgaria   Valentina Gunina (RUS)   Tatiana Kosintseva (RUS)   Salome Melia (GEO) 116 / 11
2015   Chakvi, Georgia   Natalia Zhukova (UKR)   Nino Batsiashvili (GEO)   Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS) 98 / 11
2016   Mamaia, Romania   Anna Ushenina (UKR)   Sabrina Vega (ESP)   Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL) 112 / 11
2017   Riga, Latvia   Nana Dzagnidze (GEO)   Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS)   Alisa Galliamova (RUS) 144 / 11
2018   Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia   Valentina Gunina (RUS)   Nana Dzagnidze (GEO)   Anna Ushenina (UKR) 144 / 11
2019   Antalya, Turkey   Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS)   Marie Sebag (FRA)   Elisabeth Paehtz (GER) 130 / 11
2021   Iași, Romania   Elina Danielian (ARM)   Iulija Osmak (UKR)   Oliwia Kiolbasa (POL) 117 / 11
2022   Prague, Czech Republic   Monika Socko (POL)   Gunay Mammadzada (AZE)   Ulviyya Fataliyeva (AZE) 123 / 11
2023   Petrovac, Montenegro   Meri Arabidze (GEO)   Oliwia Kiolbasa (POL)   Aleksandra Maltsevskaya (POL) 136 / 11
2024   Rhodes, Greece 182 / 10

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Krasenkow, Michal, "Youth on top in Batumi", New in Chess Magazine, vol. 2002, no. 6, pp. 69–79, OCLC 20735159
  2. ^ Geuzendam, Ten; Jan, Dirk, ""Azmai" fourth European Champion", New in Chess Magazine, vol. 2003, no. 5, pp. 26–45, OCLC 20735159
  3. ^ Tischbierek, Raj, "Himmelhoch jauchzend, zu Tode betrübt", Schach, vol. 2001, no. 7, pp. 4–31, ISSN 0048-9328
  4. ^ Van Wely, Loek, "Sometimes the King Wore no Clothes", New in Chess Magazine, vol. 2001, no. 5, pp. 52–57, OCLC 20735159
  5. ^ "EICC 2020 – European Individual Chess Championship 2020". Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2020.

External links edit

For complete tables / results, refer to The Week in Chess website:

  • 2000: Men's results (1–60 places only) Women's results Women's final match
  • 2000: Men's complete results Russchess.com
  • 2001: Men's results Women's results
  • 2002: Men's results Women's results
  • 2003: Men's and Women´s results
  • 2004: Men's results Women's results
  • 2005: Men's results Women's results
  • 2006: Men's and Women's results
  • 2007: Men's results
  • 2008: Men's and Women's results