The PGMB team from Rostov arrived as an outsider to the last round of the Russian Teams Chess Championship, given that they played against the leaders – and eventual winners.

Despite the fact that they were already out of contention for first place, there was a strong motivation to do their best in the last round: the four first places qualify to the European Club Championship.

When the match got going, the situation seemed bleak because Peter Svidler had a winning advantage against Baadur Jobava. However, things turned around in favor of the PGMB. Jobava held the draw and Ivan Popov beat Maxim Matlakov with white in a sharp open position to get an overall victory.

The team decided to celebrate in the Black Sea at a -10ºC temperature.

The performance of the team:


Name Rtg Pts. Games
GM Jobava Baadur 2702 2.5 5
GM Cheparinov Ivan 2702 2.5 5
GM Zhigalko Sergei 2656 3.5 5
GM Sjugirov Sanan 2657 3.0 6
GM Azarov Sergei 2626 3.5 5
GM Smirnov Pavel 2628 4.0 6
GM Popov Ivan 2627 3.0 6
GM Kryakvin Dmitry 2588 2.0 4
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
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