Danya no more, seeds steady @ Rhodes
GMs Pentala Harikrishna & Max Warmerdam went down to lower rated players, even as the Planet Earth mourned the untimely passing away of US Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky at just 29 years of age. Seeded teams continue to rule steady with few upsets sprinkled in-between after the second round in the European Chess Club Cup 2025, Rhodes. 21 teams led with full 4 match points after the second round in the Open section, while five teams kept themselves on top on the distaff side.
With World No. 4 Erigaisi Arjun on the first board second seed Alkaloid swept to a 6-0 win, while other top seeds viz., BayeganPendik, Novy Bor and SuperChess posted a similar 5-1 victories. Defending champions Novy Bor made light of Harikrishna’s defeat scoring on the other five boards.
The life of a genial & popular Grandmaster, an author and chess contributor getting snatched away at 29 will be a hard pill to digest. Danya, as GM Daniel Naroditsky is fondly called, will live in the hearts that he leaves behind. Aptly wrote WGM Jennifer Shahade, “Rest in peace to Daniel Naroditsky (November 9, 1995 – October 19, 2025), a Grandmaster who proved that kindness and greatness go hand in hand. May we all be a little more like you every day.”
Round 2 Results (Open): BayeganPendik chess sports beat SK Dunajska Streda 5-1, Ippotis Rhodes chess club lost to Alkaloid 0-6, Novy Bor beat De Sprenger Echternach 5-1, FC St. Pauli lost to SuperChess 1-5, Tuxera Aquaprofit Nagykanizsai Sakk Klub beat HSK Lister Turm 5-1, Lunds ASK lost to Vugar Gashimov 1-5.
Round 2 Results (Women): CE Gambit Bonnevoie lost to Cercle d’échecs de Monte-Carlo 1-3, Turkish Airlines sports club beat C’Chartres échecs 4-0, Crvena Zvezda lost to Tajfun SK Ljubljana 1-3, SuperChess beat MSK Centar ASEE 3-1, Wasa SK lost to Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica 0-4, SK Zmaj beat Aris Thessalonikis 3-1.
Sumets Andrey (2520) – Harikrishna Pentala (2697) 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. O-O O-O 10. Nc3 Re8 11. Rc1 Nbd7 12. Rc2 Nf8 13. Bc1 c5 14. dxc5 bxc5 15. Ne1 Ne6 16. Nd3 Rc8 17. Re1 Bf8 18. Bh3 d4 19. Na4 Qd5 20. Bg2 Qf5 21. Nab2 Ne4 22. Nc4 N6g5 23. f3 Nc3 24. e4 Nh3+ 25. Bxh3 Qxh3 26. Qd2 Bxc4 27. bxc4 Qe6 28. Nf4 Qxc4 29. Nd5 Qa6 30. Nxc3 dxc3 31. Qxc3 Red8 32. Qc4 Qf6 33. Kg2 Rd4 34. Qe2 Qe6 35. Be3 Ra4 36. Qd2 c4 37. Rec1 h6 38. Bf2 Ra3 39. Qd5 Qf6 40. e5 Qa6 41. Rxc4 Rxc4 42. Qxc4 Qxc4 43. Rxc4 Rxa2 44. Rc8 g6? (44…g5=) 45. f4 Kg7 46. Kf3 Ra4 47. Rc7 Kg8 48. Bxa7 h5 49. Rd7 Ra6 50. Bd4 Ra8 51. Ke4 Re8 52. h3 Rc8 53. g4 hxg4 54. hxg4 Bc5 55. Bb2 Kf8 56. Rb7 Ke8 57. f5 gxf5+ 58. gxf5 Ra8 59. Kd5 Bf8 60. Bd4 Rd8+ 61. Ke4 Rd7 62. Rb3 Rd8 63. Rh3 Bb4 64. Bb6 Rd1
65. Rh8+ 1-0
Photo courtesy: Lennart Ootes / Charlotte Chess Center
