Reports

Day 8

To defend the leadership, Murey plays a game against Rashkovsky (picture left) – was it the theory of relativity, which appears? Draw as fast as no one believes. Both players had 1:43 on their clock. At the beginning of the game - 1:40. Possible, because of the increment of 30 seconds per move while playing nine moves. Also draw in Klovans vs. Butnorius two hours later. So Murey is anymore top-placed, and some other players can follow.

More than five hours fight in Ljubarskij vs. Gutman. 66 moves, difficult play, different major-piece-endgames. A righteous draw follows. In a Kings Indian the Russians Fradkin and Kremenietsky (see picture) played on both wings. At the end IM Anatoly Kremenietsky wins one, then two pawns. Fradkin resigns and looses by time. What is better, pair of bishops or bishop plus knight? Tseitlin and Donchenko played six hours. Two bishops less and Anatoly Donchenko gives a pawn as a sacrifice, then wins two pawns. But all in vain: 99 moves and the game ends with a draw.

In the embedded ladies competition it’s not only fight. Lidiya Zakharova (see picture above) celebrates her 70th birthday with a draw against Karsten Ovesen. Much less happy, Elena Fatalibekova looses against GM Wolfgang Uhlmann (Dresden, pictur below). So Hanna Erenska-Barlo and Luba Kuznetsova, each with a draw, and Tatyana Fomina with a victory, have 5 out of 8, too.

Fred Amrehn (Mannheim) plays against Hans Karl (Suisse). Waldemar Mueller (Sandhausen) scores second victory in a row, and now is in upper midfield, together with Karl and Amrehn, each with 5 out of 8. The local duel FM Clemens Werner (Karlsruhe) vs. Dr Josef Ladstetter (Heidelberg) ends with a draw. Both now have 50 percent. Dr Wolfgang Bayer from Mannheim ends with a draw and now has 3.5/8.

Day 7

Again Jacob Murey wins and tightens his leadership in round number seven of the 7th European Individual Senior Championship. The Israeli grandmaster wins in a dramatical game against Ivan Farago (seeded numer two) after 51 moves. The Hungarian wins a pawn in Mureys Dutch Defence, but this looses the exchange and the white pieces don't find effective squares. Black plays agressive against the pair of bishops. Despite the resistance of Farago: The leader also wins today. Faragos ambition for the title are begone.

After making up leeway top-seeded Pushkov today looses against Lithuanian IM Algimantas Butnorius (Picture right). With a magic Catalan Opening he overwhelms the Russian in the 44th. Last German player in the top group was FM Boris Khanukov who now looses against Russian Nukhim Rashkovsky. One of the longest games of the day is Vlastimil Jansa vs. Janis Klovans. The multiple Senior World Champion Klovans (Picture down, left ) wins against the Vice-Senior World Champion of 2006 and is now one of the three followers together with Butnorius and Rashkovsky, half a point behind Murey.

After six rounds, there were five ladies in front regarding the embedded ladies competition. Only 59-year-old Elena Fatalibevoka (Picture down) wins, against Ante Jadrijevic. She now leads with 5 out of 7. Fred Amrehn from Mannheim wins with the black pieces against Bernd Giacomelli from Karlsruhe and now holds 4.5 points. Because of his Waterloo Wladimir Bounianer (Heidelberg) now has 4 out of 7, as well as Dieter Villing (Ladenburg) and Waldemar Mueller (Sandhausen). Dr Wolfgang Bayer (Mannheim) now has 3/7, Dr Armin Bauer (Schwetzingen) now has 2.5, both make a draw. Finally Dr Josef Ladstetter wins and now has 50 percent.

Day 6

Jacob Murey (picture left) occupies the top in sixth round of the 7th European Individual Senior Championship. He is the only one with a victory at the top boards. And this against well-known Mark Tseitlin. In a Gruenfeld Indian they both played stridently, he saved his plus pawn, gains dynamic advantages in the endgame and won in the 59th move. Despite of a long struggle: Neither in Rotstein vs. Jansa nor in Klovans vs. Khanukov there was a winner. Advantage to Elo-king Nikolai Pushkov who now met top group with his victory over titleless Luxembourger Norbert Stull. There are now eight chasers amongst them Farago, Rashkovsky and Butnorius.

What does Anatoli Karpov, multiple World Champion, saw, too: Pole Hanna Erenska-Barlo lost today against strong Russian IM Boris Fradkin and isn't any more number one of the ladies. So Tatyana Fomina, Valeria Dotan and Elena Fatalibekova (with victories) now share number one with 4 points out of 6.

Dieter Villing (Ladenburg) lost his game against Russian GM Oleg Chernikov and rests with 3/6 in the midfield. Waldemar Mueller (Sandhausen, 3/6) doesn't overwhelm FM Hans Karl (Suisse) and lost his game. Fred Amrehn from Mannheim wins against the president of the Chess Federation of Wurttemberg Dr Hans Ellinger and now has 3.5/6 - upper mid-field. Wladimir Bounianer (Heidelberg) plays a splendid tournament. After his victory against Vova Eidelmann he now has 4 points out of 6 games.

Day 5

After the fifth day of the 7th European Individual Senior Championship no one is with five points out of five. Both top games Vlastimil Jansa vs. Jacob Murey and Efim Rotstein vs. Janis Klovans result finally after long fight with a draw. Jansa (picture below, on the left) tried to get the full point with his minimal advantage in a rook endgame. This failed as well as the promotion of former World Senior Champion Kolvans' pawn in a queen endgame against nominal weaker Rotstein. In the top group now there are also Tseitlin, Khanukov and Norbert Stull (each of them with 4.5 points). Luxembourger Norbert Stoll (seeded number 78) won against chess legend Uhlmann in the 40th move because of exceeding of time.

The embedded competition of the Senior Women seems to become an exciting affair. The 16 ladies fight for the title. Until now WIM Tatiana Fomina (picture on the right) and WFM Luba Kuznetsova were ahead - but loose today. Therefore WGM Hanna Erenska-Barlo is the only ahead with 3.5 points.

WGM Elena Fatalibekova und WFM Valeria WIM Ligia-Letitia Jicman (picture below), WGM Elena Fatalibekova and WFM Valeria Dotan now have 3 points, too, and rank among the first candidates for the medals.

Day 4

Fourth day of the 7th European Individual Senior Championship - the candidates for this championship become more and more clearer. At the top boards GM Vlastimil Jansa, Jacob Murey and Janis Klovans won. It was an easy win for Jansa against Gruzmann - 18 moves. Janis Klovans, Veteran World Champion for several years, was in need of many hours to wrestle Clemens Werner from Karlsruhe. Werner uses aggressive Sicilian Dragon to diminish the disadvantage of having black. But the Latvian countered cleverly, occassionally with two pawns in advantage. The advantage in pieces countervailed against the strong resistance of Werner. Their play was the third to last on this day. On the top-Board Ivan Farago draw today against Boris Khanukov (Picture right).

Amongst the chasers titleless Danish Jorgen Hvenekilde surprised us. He won against well-known GM Lev Gutman from Melle. Also titleless Norbert Stull beat Russian IM Anatoly Kremenietsky. IM Anatoly Donchenko living in nearby Heidelberg today won against German Khroulkov and so he follows the top by half a point.

Dieter Villing (Ladenburg) comes again. After his loss in the second round he now went forward. Today he won against FIDE master Vladimir Ivanets with the white pieces. Dr. Armin Bauer from Schwetzingen - the town next to Hockenheim - played the longest game of the day - and he won well-deserved. Vladimir Bounianer (Heidelberg) triumphed in a short game against Russian Boris Belokopyt and now has two and a half points, being in upper midrange.

Day 3

The top fights become smaller. It’s the third day of the 7th European Individual Senior Championship. Again the underdogs tear a hole in the circle of favorites. Heinrich Fronczek from Calw wins against Nikolai Pushkov, seeded number one, even with the black pieces. Initially it was the Russian player who made capital of his opening advantage for a powerful play. But 75-year-old Fronczek (see picture below – on the right side) counterattacks in the end game even without the queen. First he sacrificed a pawn, then a knight and at last he cracked the dam around the white king of the favorite at board number one.

Reinhard Jaenig – you know: the man without FIDE title – proceeds his winning run and wins against FIDE master Jurij Ljubarskij from Hannover. Former First League team player Willy Rosen from Katernberg (picture on the left), father of well-known chess coach Bernd Rosen, relieves Nukhim Rashkovsky, seeded number four, of a draw. The duel between Clemens Werner
(Karlsruhe) and Gerhard Fahnenschmidt (Sindelfingen) – battle Baden against Wuerttemberg - won the native of Baden.

There was an uphill struggle at the lower boards. Twice, the 50-moves-rule has to decide the end of the game. Each time the two combatants had tower against tower and knight, twice: a draw. The shortest game of the day was decided by technics. A ringing mobile phone means according to FIDE Laws of Chess loss of the game for the owner. And, well, only milliseconds after the opponent loses a rook … .

Only ten players leading with 3 out of 3: Khanukov, Fronczek, Farago, Murey, Rotstein, Klovans, Jaenig, Gruzmann (picture on the right), Werner and Jansa. With a draw less, there are amongst others: Tseitlin, Fradkin, Gutman and Uhlmann.

Day 2

The second round of the 7th European Senior Championship left a real big surprise. 62-year-old Reinhard Jaenig (on the left picture) defeated grandmaster Oleg Chernikov. According to his own statement, GDR Pioneer Championship 1959 in Berlin has been his greatest success. The citizen of Chemnitz declared that the scalp of Chernikov was his third GM scalp up to now.

But there were several grandmaster who only attained a draw against opponents without FIDE title. GM Gutman complimented Heidelbergian Wladimir Bounianer (on the right picture) on his play after their fight lasting for hours: <<He has played without any error and made all well.>> FM Gerhard Fahnenschmidt (picture down) from Sindelfingen, seeded number 79, played so fast against Italian Antonio Rosino that his combatant stood under extreme pressure of time. Checkmate in move number 40. Curious: Because of the time control system played - they have an increment of 30 seconds per move - Fahnenschmidt finished with more time on his clock than at the beginning of the game. But his opponent hadn't time no more.

Leading with two points out of two rounds (among others): the favorites Pushkov, Farago, Jansa, Rashkovsky and the former Senior World Champion Klovans.

Day 1

About 160 participants start up the 7th European Senior Individual Championship in Hockenheim, which is over the distance of nine rounds. And as in many tournaments, we see the favorites by ELO who are winning the first round. There is no chance for the opponents of the grandmasters Nikolai Pushkov, Vlastimil Jansa and Nukhim Rashkovsky, of Mark Tseitlin, Lev Gutman, Janis Klovans, Jacob Murey and Wolfgang Uhlmann.

But not only the pros win. So Hans Stadt from Eppingen (on the left picture) wins against Russian IM Vladimir Onoprienko in a real battle of time-pressure. The former third league player - without any official FIDE title - avails himself of the opportunity that Onoprienko is not familiar with the Fischer time clock and the new time control. Instead of using the remaining 50 minutes, Onoprienko believes he is in time pressure and can't counterattack Stadt.

Bernd Giacomelli hunts down the high favorite Ferdinand Niebling. The winner of the second Open Untergrombach, in the mid-80s, plays continuing successful chess and culls the 72-year-old chesstiger in spite of an 250-ELO-distance.

The ECU representative of the championship, Per Ofstad, can't win in spite of his favorite role. The game of the Norwegian group leader against Austrian Herbert Egger (see left in picture below) ends in a draw .