European Online Club Cup 2021 R1-4: Vidit and Sasikiran start with a hat-trick

Novy Bor takes sole lead in Group B

Harikrishna, Vidit and Sasikiran all three of them play for Novy Bor Chess Club. While Harikrishna was rested on the first four rounds of the Group Stage, Vidit and Sasikiran racked up three wins in their first three games for Novy Bor. The Czech team has taken a sole lead of 8.0/8. They are definitely one of the top contenders to advance to the Play-Offs. Overall they are the second highest rated team with an average rating of 2712 after OSG Baden Baden e.V. whose team rating is 2715.

Novy Bor - SK Lions Levice: 4-0

Sasikiran scored a comfortable victory over untitled Juraj Lecky of SK Lions Levice in the first round.

Sasikiran - Lecky, Round 1

17...b6 invited trouble as white jumped with knight 18.Nc6 and rest was just a matter of time for white to convert it into a victory.

Novy Bor - Hamburger Schachklub 1830: 3-1

Vidit Gujrathi played three games on the first day and he won all three of them. In Round 2, Vidit got a better position out of the opening against Sweden no.1 Nils Grandelius of Hamburger Schachklub 1830.

Vidit - Grandelius, Round 2

14...c5 is a mistake. Find out why. Black should have gone with 14...Rc7 instead. Soon afterwards black lost a pawn and could not get back for the rest of the game.

Club d'Echecs de Geneve - Novy Bor: 1-3

In the third round, Vidit was up against French GM Romain Edouard of Club d'Echecs de Geneve. In a seemingly equal position, Edouard made an incorrect decision which cost him the game.

Edouard - Vidit, Round 3

Of course white should not exchange the rooks here and help black get rid of the doubled f-pawn. Moreover, black's advanced king and with the threat of g3-break looming large, it is imperative for white to play 27.g3 right away and lock the position. Even after 27.Rxg4 fxg4 white should have played 28.g3 to minimize the damage.

Sasikiran beat GM Jean-Noel Riff comfortably after the latter developed his queen on the wrong side of the board.

Sasikiran - Riff, Round 3

Black needed to develop his queen on the kingside, something like 18...Qf6. Since the a3-rook is primed to traverse to the kingside to launch a heavy attack, white continued with 19.Nf5 and wrapped up the game in another eleven moves.

Novy Bor - De Pluspion Wachtebeke: 4-0

Vidit beat Spain no.5 Jaime Santos Latasa of De Pluspion Wachtebeke in the fourth round. Jaime made an incorrect pawn exchange in the endgame which turned things in Vidit's favor.

Vidit - Jaime, Round 4

Black was not forced to play 27...dxc4. A simple 27...Kg8 would have sufficed. The capture only helped white as it exposed black's weaknesses.

IM Ana Matnadze got into a inferior position out of the opening and could not get back for the rest of the game.

Group B Standings after Round 4

Details

Gukesh made his debut for Gijon 64 earlier this month

Group C Standings after Round 4

Details

The only Indian woman playing in this event is WGM Nandhidhaa P V. She is playing for Tremblay Girls and made a good start by defeating GM Yannick Pelletier in the very first round.

Nandhidhaa - Pelletier, Round 1

Nandhidhaa got a good position out of the opening and 14...0-0-0 certainly did not help black's case as it only went downhill for black. She converted her advantage into a win comfortably.

Group D Standings after Round 4

Details

In Group E, IM Soham Das of Club Ajedrez 64 Villalba-Miscasa A held GM Eltaj Safarli of Odlar Yurdu to a draw in Round 4.

Group E Standings after Round 4

Details

Tournament Format

• Qualification phase (27th-28th of March) – Groups consisting of 8 or 10 teams each, play the Robin round event of 7 or 9 rounds. Groups will be divided according to the average rating of the four (4) basic players, with FIDE March 1st, 2021 list taken in account. Two at least teams of each group qualify for Play-offs.

• Play-offs (29th of March) – The qualifiers from the 1st phase. Best ranked 9 teams proceed to the Finals.

• The final group (30th-31st of March) – 10 teams play Robin round tournament of 9 rounds. The 10th team is invited by ECU, the Winner of European Women’s Online Chess Club Cup- Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo.

Time control of the event is 15 minutes + 5 seconds increment.

Schedule

Saturday 27th March: 7 - 11 p.m. IST

Sunday 28th - Wednesday 31st March: 6 p.m. IST onwards

Prizes

Total Prize fund - EUR 14000. 1st - EUR 4000, 2nd - EUR 3000, 3rd - EUR 2000, 4th - EUR 1500 and 5th - EUR 1000. Individual e-Medals are won by 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place of each board of final Group. The first winner of each Board of the final group will receive 400 euros. Reserve players are calculated on the 5th Board. The best game of the tournament will be awarded 500 euros.

The event is organized by European Chess Union and Monte-Carlo Chess Club, under the high patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Replay all Indian players' games from Round 1-4

Links

European Chess Union

Tournament Regulations

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