The 41st European Chess Club Cup and the 30th European Women's Chess Club Cup have kicked off with great excitement in Budva, Montenegro. With a record total of 130 teams—108 in the open section and 22 in the women's event—the tournament has firmly drawn the global chess spotlight to the Adriatic coast. The competition follows a seven-round Swiss system, with six boards per match in the open and four in the women's section, concluding on Friday, 23 October.
Bayegan Pendik and Elite Contenders at the Top
Turkey's Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club entered the event as the sole team with an Elo average over 2700, standing as the statistical favourites with a 2715 rating average. While top clubs generally secured commanding victories, individual upsets marked the early stages. Notably, only three teams—Vugar Gashimov, Tuxena, and Alkaloid—swept both of their opening matches with flawless 6-0 scorelines. A total of 25 teams, including 15th-seeded Schachfreunde Berlin, share the lead with four match points out of four.
World-Class Grandmasters in Action
A host of world-class talents have converged in Budva to battle for the prestigious club title. World number five Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2780 Elo) leads the field as the top-rated competitor, followed by Wei Yi (2758), Anish Giri (2752), Arjun Erigaisi (2746), and rising Turkish prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (2731). While Abdusattorov and Giri were rested in the opening rounds, Wei Yi has already scored two victories on board two for Alkaloid, highlighted by a fine second-round win against Iceland's Hilmir Heimisson.
Editorial assessment
The event in Budva showcases the immense depth and prestige of European club chess, highlighted by a record 130-team turnout and top-ten talents like Abdusattorov, Wei Yi, Giri, Erigaisi, and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. The presence of Turkey's Bayegan Pendik as the lone 2700+ rated squad and Erdogmus among the top-rated competitors underscores the rising international prominence of Turkish chess at the elite level. Furthermore, with 25 teams tied on maximum match points early on, the compact seven-round Swiss system promises an intensely fought battle for the title right down to the wire.