Four new World Senior Champions!

Great fights, quick draws, medals winning or losing in last minute – during the last round of WSCC 2017 in Acqui Terme players and spectators saw the whole range.

Open +50

Top favorite GM Julian Granda Zuniga (Peru) had already won the tournament after his victory in round 10. Therefore, in last round he agreed in a quick draw and won the tournament with 9,5 points out of 11 games (8 victories, 3 draws). In the year 1980 the top player from Peru won the WYCC Under 14 in Mexico, and now, 37 years later, he became World Champion in this year’s Senior-championship. What a nice story! One point behind the new World Champion GM Rogelio Antonio (PHI) and GM Eric Prie (FRA) finished on second and third place.

Open +65

Six players started last round with 7,5 points. Three great fights on first boards for the World Champion’s title was expected! On third board GM Lothar Vogt (GER) and GM Vlastimil Jansa (CZE) never over-crossed the line of a draw and agreed in it after 28 moves. On board two GM Evgeny Sveshnikov (RUS) – with lowest tie-break – managed to win against IM Arkady Shevelev (ISR). With this result a medal was sure for him, but will he be second, or will he even be the new World Champion in his category? On first board the two GM Anatoly Vaisser (FRA) and GM Eugenio Torre (PHI) tried also to win the game. Around the 24th move it seemed the Philippians hero will have a better position. But quite later the 4-times Senior World Champion Vaisser managed to win a pawn. Torre was able to defend his position in a draw. After this result GM Evgeny Sveshnikov (RUS) became the new World Champion, half a point in front of 9 players with 8 points. The other medalists are GM Vaisser and GM Jansa.

Women +50

Number one seeded WGM Elvira Berend (LUX) started convincingly with 6,5 out of 7 games, but in penultimate game she lost to WGM Marina Makropoulou (GRE). A very fast draw in last round secured her the first place and the World Champion title. WGM Makropoulou had a bad start of 3 points out of 6 games and then a perfect final with 3 points in the last 3 games. With this result she managed to finish on second place. Bronze medal went to WGM Galina Strutinskaia (RUS) with 6 points as well. The ladies played only 9 games.

Women +65

The two Georgian players WGM Tamar Khmiadashvili and GM Nona Gaprindashvili dominated the tournament. Both of them scored 7,5 points out of 9 games. Khmiadashvili won the title, as she managed to win against Gaprindashvili in third round. Bronze medal went to WIM Tatiana Titorenko (RUS).

The closing ceremony took place in the tournament venue. Mr. Roberto Rivello, Chairman of FIDE Constitutional Commission, Member of FIDE Executive Board and Vice President of Italian Chess Federation, together with Mr. Lorenzo Lucchini, Mayor of Acqui Terme, gave the trophies to the medal winners.

The final standings:

Open +50:
1. GM Julian Granda Zuniga (PER) 9,5
2. GM Rogelio Antonio (PHI) 8,5
3. GM Eric Prie (FRA) 8,5

Open +65:
1. GM Evgeny Sveshnikov (RUS) 8,5
2. GM Anatoly Vaisser (FRA) 8
3. GM Vlastimil Jansa (CZE) 8

Women +50:
1. WGM Elvira Berend (LUX) 7
2. WGM Marina Makropoulou (GRE) 6
3. WGM Galina Strutinskaia (RUS) 6

Women +65:
1. WGM Tamar Khmiadashvili (GEO) 7,5
2. GM Nona Gaprindashvili (GEO) 7,5
3. WIM Tatiana Titorenko (RUS) 6,5

Next World Senior Championship will be organized in November 2018 in Bled, Slovenia.

Official Website:
www.scaccomattissimo.eu 

Results

Photo Gallery 

14th November 2017

For 7th time Italy is hosting the World Senior Chess Championship. After Arco 2001 and 2010, Lignano Sabbiadoro 2005, Arvier 2006, Condino 2009 and Acqui Terme 2015 this year the seniors were invited again to came to the city of Acqui Terme (nearly 20.000 of inhabitants) in northern Italy, between Genova and Torino, 35km in south of better known city of Alessandria.

Organizers are IO Michele Cordara (also organizer of Chess Olympiad 2006) and IO Cristina Pernici Rigo Playing hall: the Convention Center of Acqui Terme.

From 6th till 18th of November 2017 not less than 298 players out of 52 countries will battle for the titles of World Champion in the categories “Open +50”, “Women +50”, “Open +65” and “Women +65”. For the open sections there will be an 11 round swiss system tournament, for the two Women tournaments a 9 round swiss system tournament. 30 games are transmitted live on Internet.

Here the list of the former Senior World Champions who are playing also this year:

Open tournaments:
• Evgeni Vasiukov (RUS, winner in year 1995)
• Anatoly Vaisser (FRA, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016)
• Vladimir Okhotnik (FRA, 2011, 2015)
• Zurab Sturua (GEO, 2014)
• Giorgi Bagaturov (GEO, 2016)

Women tournaments:
• Nona Gaprindashvili (GEO, 1995, 2009, 2014-16)
• Tamar Khmiadashvili (GEO, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2010)
• Elena Fatalibekova (RUS, 2004)
• Galina Strutinskaia (RUS, 2011, 2012, 2015)
• Svetlana Mednikova (RUS, 2014)
• Tatjana Bogumil (RUS, 2016)

Chief arbiter of this tournament is IA Werner Stubenvoll (Austria).

Julio Granda Zuniga

Top seeded players are the well-known grandmasters Julio Granda Zuniga (PER, 2650) in the Open +50 and Anatoly Vaisser (FRA, 2503) in the Open +65. The oldest player is Antonio Pipitone from Italy (born 1926).

Anatoly Vaisser

Antonio Pipitone

After 6 rounds in Open tournaments and 5 rounds in Women tournaments there are following leaders:

In section “Open +50” there are six players leading with 5 points:
GM Julio Granda Zuniga (PER), GM Rogelio Antonio (PHI), GM Zurab Sturua (GEO), GM Eric Prie (FRA), IM Alexander Reprintsev (UKR) and IM Oliver Brendel (GER).

In section “Open +65” as well there are six players with 5 points leading:
GM Vlastimil Jansa (CZE), IM Arkady Shevelev (ISR), GM Vladimir Okhotnik (FRA), GM Anatoly Vaisser (FRA), GM Yuri Balashov (RUS) and FM Christian Hess (GER). Another 11 players follow with 4,5 points.

Two of the initial favorites of the tournament, GM Evgeny Sveshnikov (RUS, 2480) and GM James Tarjan (USA, 2449) already lost two games and will have problems to come back to the leading group.

In tournament “Women +50” the top-seeded player WGM Elvira Berend (LUX, 2292) is leading with 4,5 points out of the 5 games played. Currently on the second place is WGM Shilan Liu (CHN) with half a point less. Other players follow with one or more points less than the leader.

The “Grand Dame” of chess, GM Nona Gaprindashvili (GEO, 2306), lost in the third round of the tournament “Women +65” to WGM Tamar Khmiadashvili (GEO) and is now following her. After fifth round Khmiadashvili is the leader with 4,5 points, a half point ahead of Gaprindashvili. Behind them four players from Russia, who try to stop the two Georgian leaders.

Official Website:
www.scaccomattissimo.eu 

Results 

Photo Gallery