Alexey Sarana is European Individual Chess Champion 2023

GM Alexey Sarana is the new European Individual Chess Champion 2023! The thrilling last round of the championship determined the medalists. GM Alexey Sarana (FIDE, 2668) and GM Kirill Shevchenko (ROU, 2668) met each other in the direct last-round encounter for the first place. The game finished in a draw after one hour of play, and the two youngsters waited for other results and tiebreak criteria to see the final standings.

GM Daniel Dardha (BEL, 2610) defeated GM Anton Korobov (UKR, 2658) to score 8.5 points and joined Sarana and Shevchenko on the top. For most of the game, Dardha held the equality, but Korobov pushed too hard for a win and eventually dove into troubles without the possibility to escape.

GM Dardha: I am excited about crossing the 2600 mark

With the best tiebreak criteria, GM Alexey Sarana clinched the title of the Europan Individual Chess Champion 2023, GM Kirill Shevchenko came second, while GM Daniel Dardha won the bronze medal.

The Closing ceremony of the event took place in the playing venue, with the start at 22:00 CEST. The programme started with the special awards.

The Vice President of the European Chess Union Mr. Alojzije Jankovic and the legendary grandmaster GM Adrian Mikhalchishin joined the awarding ceremony presenting the trophies to the best Junior and Senior (50+) players.

The best Junior players are:

1. GM Daniel Dardha (BEL, 2610), 8.5 points
2. IM Ediz Gurel (TUR, 2454), 8 points
3. GM Volodar Murzin (FIDE, 2554), 7 points

The best Senior players are:

1. GM Boris Gelfand (ISR, 2674), 7.5 points
2. GM Vasyl Ivanchuk (UKR, 2664), 7.5 points
3. GM Michele Godena (ITA, 2446), 6.5 points

This year, the special prize fund for the best-ranked female players was doubled and six players received the prizes. The best female players in the EICC2023 are:

1. WGM Jolanta Zawadzka (POL, 2391), 6.5 points
2. IM Irina Bulmaga (ROU, 2438), 6.5 points
3. GM Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE, 2576), 6 points
4. IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya (POL, 2388), 6 points
5. WIM Adela Velikic (SRB, 2329), 6 points
6. IM Eline Roebers (NED, 2362), 6 points

ECU Tournament Director Mr. Petr Pisk and GM Rafael Vaganian awarded the Winners.

Before the chief arbiter of the event, Mr. Tomasz Delega, read the final standings and the winners of the regular prizes, the President of the Serbian Chess Federation Mr. Dragan Lazic and the President of the European Chess Union addressed the players and distinguished guests.

Mr. Dragan Lazic thanked everyone for coming and congratulated the Winners. He also wished a nice trip home to the players and invited them to the European Club Cup 2024 which will be held in the same venue.

Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili thanked the Serbian Chess Federation for the great organisation of the Championship, giving special thanks to the Arbiters team who took care that everything goes well in the playing venue. Mr. Azmaiparshvili noted that the participation of 482 players from 40 federations is a record-breaking number that shows great potential for chess in Europe. Inviting the players to take participation in European Individual Chess Championship 2024 in the same number, the ECU President revealed that the event will next year take place in Israel.

The President of the Serbian Chess Federation Mr. Dragan Lazic and the President of the European Chess Union Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili then presented the trophies and medals to the Winners.

After the awarding ceremony of the medalists, the ECU President officially declared the event closed and the intonation of the ECU Anthem marked the end of the ceremony.

Final standings European Individual Chess Championship 2023

1	GM	Sarana Alexey	FID	2668	8.5
2	GM	Shevchenko Kirill	ROU	2668	8.5
3	GM	Dardha Daniel	BEL	2610	8.5
4	IM	Kourkoulos-Arditis Stamatis	GRE	2520	8
5	GM	Bacrot Etienne	FRA	2659	8
6	GM	Nguyen Thai Dai Van	CZE	2651	8
7	GM	Santos Latasa Jaime	ESP	2655	8
8	GM	Esipenko Andrey	FID	2680	8
9	GM	Kuzubov Yuriy	UKR	2616	8
10	GM	Dragnev Valentin	AUT	2561	8
11	GM	Paravyan David	FID	2584	8
12	GM	Janik Igor	POL	2527	8
13	GM	Anton Guijarro David	ESP	2685	8
14	IM	Gurel Ediz	TUR	2454	8
15	GM	Donchenko Alexander	GER	2653	8
16	GM	Korobov Anton	UKR	2658	7.5
17	GM	Abasov Nijat	AZE	2625	7.5
18	GM	Predke Alexandr	SRB	2684	7.5
19	GM	Svane Frederik	GER	2577	7.5
20	GM	Nasuta Grzegorz	POL	2535	7.5
21	GM	Azarov Sergei	FID	2559	7.5
	GM	Gumularz Szymon	POL	2558	7.5
23	GM	Grandelius Nils	SWE	2658	7.5
24	GM	Gledura Benjamin	HUN	2637	7.5
25	GM	Vocaturo Daniele	ITA	2619	7.5
26	GM	Brkic Ante	CRO	2596	7.5
27	GM	Pechac Jergus	SVK	2598	7.5
28	GM	Gelfand Boris	ISR	2674	7.5
29	GM	Ponomariov Ruslan	UKR	2655	7.5
30	GM	Yilmazyerli Mert	TUR	2525	7.5
31	GM	Cheparinov Ivan	BUL	2661	7.5
32	GM	Sargsyan Shant	ARM	2630	7.5
	GM	Bernadskiy Vitaliy	UKR	2611	7.5
34	GM	Svane Rasmus	GER	2620	7.5
35	IM	Kacharava Nikolozi	GEO	2531	7.5
36	GM	Rakhmanov Aleksandr	FID	2635	7.5
37	FM	Fromm Marius	GER	2428	7.5
38	GM	Ivanchuk Vasyl	UKR	2664	7.5
39	GM	Hovhannisyan Robert	ARM	2597	7.5
40	GM	Bjerre Jonas Buhl	DEN	2608	7.5
41	GM	Ter-Sahakyan Samvel	ARM	2616	7.5
42	GM	Yuffa Daniil	ESP	2605	7.5
43	GM	Mchedlishvili Mikheil	GEO	2569	7.5
44	GM	Kollars Dmitrij	GER	2618	7.5
45	GM	Wieczorek Oskar	POL	2505	7.5
46	GM	Sargissian Gabriel	ARM	2699	7
47	GM	Murzin Volodar	FID	2554	7
48	IM	Subelj Jan	SLO	2496	7
49	GM	Quparadze Giga	GEO	2483	7
50	GM	Kozak Adam	HUN	2552	7
51	GM	Kobalia Mikhail	FID	2577	7
52	IM	Parkhov Yair	ISR	2485	7
53	GM	Kadric Denis	MNE	2583	7
54	GM	Saric Ivan	CRO	2674	7
55	GM	Navara David	CZE	2685	7
56	GM	Martirosyan Haik M.	ARM	2686	7
57	GM	Mastrovasilis Dimitrios	GRE	2599	7
58	GM	Dvirnyy Danyyil	ITA	2531	7
59	GM	Petrosyan Manuel	ARM	2634	7
60	GM	Najer Evgeniy	FID	2666	7
61	GM	Suleymanli Aydin	AZE	2552	7
62	IM	Clarke Brandon G I	ENG	2475	7
63	GM	Warmerdam Max	NED	2614	7
64	GM	Livaic Leon	CRO	2569	7
65	IM	Kukhmazov Arsen	FID	2495	7
66	GM	Lupulescu Constantin	ROU	2580	7
67	GM	Sanal Vahap	TUR	2590	7
68	IM	Teclaf Pawel	POL	2568	7
69	GM	Can Emre	TUR	2600	7
70	FM	Eren Ataberk	TUR	2308	7
71	GM	Nesterov Arseniy	FID	2568	7
72	GM	Wojtaszek Radoslaw	POL	2682	7
73	IM	Ohanyan Emin	ARM	2405	7
74	GM	Ivic Velimir	SRB	2606	7
75	GM	Velten Paul	FRA	2478	7
76	GM	Kobo Ori	ISR	2548	7
77	GM	Blohberger Felix	AUT	2493	7
78	GM	Lagarde Maxime	FRA	2581	7
79	GM	Djukic Nikola	MNE	2514	7
80	GM	Fernandez Daniel Howard	ENG	2498	7
81	IM	Horvath Dominik	AUT	2521	7
82	IM	Shubin Kirill	FID	2449	7
83	IM	Beerdsen Thomas	NED	2510	7
84	IM	Willow Jonah B	ENG	2459	7
85	GM	Zajic Milan	SRB	2387	7
86	GM	Grigoriants Sergey	HUN	2572	7
87	GM	Bartel Mateusz	POL	2609	7
88	FM	Levin Guy	ISR	2419	7
89	GM	Kovalev Vladislav	FID	2623	6.5
90	IM	Gharibyan Mamikon	ARM	2491	6.5
91	GM	Safarli Eltaj	AZE	2608	6.5
92	IM	Gavrilescu David	ROU	2527	6.5
93	GM	Indjic Aleksandar	SRB	2636	6.5
94	IM	Gokerkan Cem Kaan	TUR	2486	6.5
95	GM	Maurizzi Marc`andria	FRA	2535	6.5
96	GM	Sanikidze Tornike	GEO	2459	6.5
97	GM	Guliyev Namig	AZE	2528	6.5
98	GM	Iskandarov Misratdin	AZE	2598	6.5
99	GM	Brunello Sabino	ITA	2512	6.5
100	GM	Boruchovsky Avital	ISR	2536	6.5
101	IM	Stankovic Milos	SRB	2447	6.5
102	IM	Erdogmus Yagiz Kaan	TUR	2445	6.5
103	IM	Danielyan Vahe	ARM	2307	6.5
104	GM	Zanan Evgeny	ISR	2485	6.5
105	IM	Ahmadzada Ahmad	AZE	2487	6.5
106	GM	Alsina Leal Daniel	ESP	2522	6.5
107	IM	Sousa Andre Ventura	POR	2464	6.5
108	IM	Nigalidze Gaioz	GEO	2448	6.5
109	GM	Stocek Jiri	CZE	2534	6.5
110	GM	Rodshtein Maxim	ISR	2622	6.5
	GM	Muradli Mahammad	AZE	2539	6.5
112	FM	Piliposyan Robert	ARM	2314	6.5
113	GM	Moroni Luca Jr	ITA	2578	6.5
114	GM	Sebenik Matej	SLO	2536	6.5
115	IM	Stoyanov Tsvetan	BUL	2446	6.5
116	FM	Akbas Umut Ata	TUR	2419	6.5
117	GM	Draskovic Luka	MNE	2510	6.5
118	IM	Milosevic Milos	SRB	2347	6.5
119	IM	Bronstein Or	ISR	2465	6.5
	FM	Bazakutsa Svyatoslav	UKR	2335	6.5
121	IM	Royal Shreyas	ENG	2452	6.5
122	IM	Kaasen Tor Fredrik	NOR	2464	6.5
123	GM	Van Foreest Lucas	NED	2570	6.5
124	FM	Samadov Read	AZE	2471	6.5
125	IM	Vetokhin Savva	FID	2388	6.5
126	FM	Damjanovic Vuk	SRB	2361	6.5
127	GM	Lobanov Sergei	FID	2545	6.5
128	GM	Gadimbayli Abdulla	AZE	2507	6.5
129	GM	Petrov Martin	BUL	2505	6.5
130	IM	Castellanos Rodriguez Renier	ESP	2484	6.5
	IM	Wachinger Nikolas	GER	2440	6.5
132	GM	Socko Bartosz	POL	2618	6.5
133	IM	Sokolovsky Yahli	ISR	2476	6.5
134	GM	Bosiocic Marin	CRO	2555	6.5
135	GM	Godena Michele	ITA	2446	6.5
136		Levitan Tal	ISR	2276	6.5
137	IM	Ben Ari Yannay	ISR	2411	6.5
138	WGM	Zawadzka Jolanta	POL	2391	6.5
139	IM	Janzelj Tim	SLO	2472	6.5
140	IM	Filip Lucian-Ioan	ROU	2349	6.5
141	IM	Bulmaga Irina	ROU	2438	6.5
142	IM	Pajeken Jakob Leon	GER	2465	6.5
143	FM	Manafov Vugar	AZE	2349	6
144	GM	Moussard Jules	FRA	2684	6
145	GM	Sychev Klementy	FID	2549	6
146	IM	Gorshtein Ido	ISR	2498	6
147	FM	Seemann Jakub	POL	2424	6
148	GM	Sadikhov Ulvi	AZE	2485	6
149	GM	Goryachkina Aleksandra	FID	2576	6
150	GM	Parligras Mircea-Emilian	ROU	2554	6