USA federation chess players competed on five teams at the FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championships, held in Krakow, Poland, July 1–12. US Chess financially supported three of the USA teams. Its 50+ team took the gold medal in the open category. For the women’s medals, the USA 50+ women’s team took silver, and the USA 65+ women’s team took bronze.
Two self-funded teams, named USA Too and USA 5 Brothers, also participated, both as open teams in the 50+ category.
USA Women Debut
For the first time, US Chess funded two women’s teams, one in the 50+ category and one in the 65+ category. As happens every year in the FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championships, there were not enough women’s teams to hold a separate women’s division. Therefore, the six 50+ women’s teams competed alongside open teams in the 50+ category, which had 32 teams.
The USA women were the top-rated of the six women’s teams and finished ½-point behind the Estonian Women’s team, which took gold.
In contrast, the 65+ USA women’s team was the lowest rated of the three women’s teams in the 65+ division. In fact, the USA women’s team was the lowest rated of all 33 teams in that division. Nonetheless, the team won one match, 2.5–1.5, against Wales Silures. One of its members, 87-year-old Elizabeth Shaughnessy, was the oldest player competing.
USA Gold Medal
The USA did not field an open team in the 65+ category, where the England 1 team, with GM John Nunn on first board, took the gold medal. The USA fielded the highest-rated team in the 50+ category. That team fulfilled expectations by taking the gold medal.
The following game was won by third board of the USA team, the current U.S. Senior Champion GM Melikset Khachiyan. His opponent, GM Glenn Flear, played for the England 1 team in the 50+ category.
U.S. Senior Championship
Khachiyan, along with teammates GM Alexander Shabalov (Board 2) and GM Igor Novikov (Board 4), departed Poland on July 12. Next on their agenda is the U.S. Senior Championship, which has an arrival day of July 14, an opening ceremony on July 15, and round 1 on July 16. The tournament concludes July 26.
Do you think the trio will perform better than expected, having “warmed up” by playing in Krakow? To find out, follow the U.S. Senior Championship.
Also on the winning U.S. team were first board, GM Jaan Ehlvest, and alternate, GM Alex Yermolinsky.
