An impressive Israeli chess success. On Monday, Israel took the silver medal in the European Team Championships, held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Team members GM Boris Gelfand, GM Ilia Smirin, GM Emil Sutovsky and IM Michael Roiz tied with the Slovenian team for second place, having lost only to the Russian gold medalists.
Along the way, the Israelis defeated Azerbaijan, Holland, Poland, Germany, France, Greece and the Ukraine. Instrumental in the defeat of the powerful Ukrainian team were team members Ilia Smirin and Emil Sutovsky, the latter of whom was European champion in 2001. Ultimately, the Russian and Israeli team members had racked up equal scores on the individual level, but the final team scores were what determined medal winners.
The final scores for Russia and Israel after nine rounds were as follows: Russia - 8 1 0 17 22½ 181½ 451,50; Israel - 7 1 1 15 22½ 180 448,25.
37 men's and 31 women's teams took part in the competition, which lasted from October 10th-21st. The Russian team consisted of GM Peter Svidler, GM Evgeny Bareev, GM Alexander Grischuk, and GM Alexander Morozevich. Absent was the legendary chess master Gary Kasparov.
Along the way, the Israelis defeated Azerbaijan, Holland, Poland, Germany, France, Greece and the Ukraine. Instrumental in the defeat of the powerful Ukrainian team were team members Ilia Smirin and Emil Sutovsky, the latter of whom was European champion in 2001. Ultimately, the Russian and Israeli team members had racked up equal scores on the individual level, but the final team scores were what determined medal winners.
The final scores for Russia and Israel after nine rounds were as follows: Russia - 8 1 0 17 22½ 181½ 451,50; Israel - 7 1 1 15 22½ 180 448,25.
37 men's and 31 women's teams took part in the competition, which lasted from October 10th-21st. The Russian team consisted of GM Peter Svidler, GM Evgeny Bareev, GM Alexander Grischuk, and GM Alexander Morozevich. Absent was the legendary chess master Gary Kasparov.