If Not Considering Monte Carlo

One can doubt if the changes should be made in the format of the European Club Cup, but there's no doubt that something should be done with the women's section. Unfortunately, the women's competition contained no interest and eventually turned into a farce. 

One of the teams claiming to compete with the top-seed Monte Carlo got bye in the penultimate round receing only 1 point as the result of the "match" (which wasn't played). The other team wasn't that "lucky", but in the last round played against the outsiders and had a guaranteed result 4-0. If this other team would get "bye" there would be another third one... Up to th epenultimate round the computer failed to do the drawing, so the arbiter was assigned to do what is impossible to do. 

All that because 11 teams were playing 7-round Swiss which is a pure nonsense.

The easiest the organizers could do knowing that there is an odd number of teams, was that they could invite there own Greek tram. It wouldn't be any worse than the teams participating if taking into account their compositions; also, in this case all the teams would play the equal number of matches.  

In any case, with 11 or 12 teams I would rather agree with Ashot Vardapetyan's suggestions to divide teams into two groups, gather four best teams in the semifinals and then have a final. There would be 7 playing days, would it be any worse?

* * *

Monte Carlo once again gained an early win in the competition.

On a large scale all teams are so to say artificially made, but others - as in  men's so in women's teams, even in most "rich" ones, there's some connecting thread or fundament you can find. This club on the contrary is most artificial among all other artificial ones.

So, you need just imagine the team of Carlsen, Aronian, Kramnik, Nakamura, Grischuk, Caruana (I only took first 6 players of the current rating list). Then you as a captain or the member of such a team can state how talented are the players i your team and what a wonderful team spirit you have. 

"Аnd what about Skripchenko?" you will ask seeing her holding the cup. Elmira is the fifth and the captain of the team. Usually she plays when everything is already clear. She, however, fulfilled her duty long before, she found a sponsor (you can see him on the photo), who had enough resources to buy players surfing through the world rating list. 

Monte Carlo was playing in this competition as the winner of the previous championship; but it wasn't always the holder of the title and in those cases its participation can't correspond to any of the existing rules. Well, as they say (I haven't seen that int he rules), any club can pay this amount of euros and play in any competition in any composition. 

I don't really want you to get me worng: I like each of this club's members. the players are just doing their job - they're playing, winning...

I just think the European Chess Union should pay attention to the women's Club Cup and foremost to the system under which it is held.

* * *  

"If not taking into account Monte Carlo, Ugra became the champion; it consisted of Anna Ushenina, Natalia Pogonina, Baira Kovanova, Marina Romanko and Tatiana Shadrina.

Pavel Lobac, the captain, looks satisfied.

The club from Moscow ShSM - Our Heritage took Bronze. Alexandra Kosteniuk, Valentina Gunina, Ekaterina Kovalevskaya, Olga Girya and Anastasia Savina played for it.

The closing ceremony of the Greek tournament can't go without the nationa dances.

You can read it the faces of the mebers of the club SOCAR. 

Valdimir Tukmakov with the Cup for the 3rd place. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov had to even cheer up Gata Kamsky standing aside.

Shakhriyar won the individual medal ont he fifth board. 

Dmitry Krjakvin surpassd two members of SOCAR on Board 6.

Аlexey Shirov was best on Board 4 (Malakhit).

Sergey Zhigalko took first on the 4th board (PGMB Rostov).

By the way, the average rating of PGMB is only four points less than of the winner club, so they are optimistic of their future. 

Radoslav Woijtaszek one of the biggest contributors to Novy Bor's win. He surpassed Sergey Karjakin and Vladislav Kovalev on the second board. He also made another, as it turned out spare, GM norm: he already played with the GM title which wasn't yet confirmed.

Alexander Girschuk won ont he first board. By the way, he just turned 30.

Malakhit finished second.

Petr Boleslav receives the main main prize from Georgios MAkropoulos. You can read the interview with the FIDE official here. 

Several years ago Mikhail Golubev presented the list of the winner teams since 2000 noting that it can hardly be said that any of the winners was accidental.

2000 - Bosna
2001 - Norilsk Nickel
2002 - Bosna
2003 - NAO
2004 - NAO
2005 - Tomsk-400
2006 - Tomsk-400
2007 - Linex
2008 - Ural
2009 - Economist
2010 - Economist
2011 - St. Petersburg
2012 - SOCAR
2013 - Novy Bor