It is calm today at the European Youth Chess Championship in Porec. The officers, heavy artillery, light cavalry and infantry withdrew to their barracks because Saturday September 26 is a free day. This presents an opportunity for the warriors to recuperate and prepare for the decisive battle in their campaign to win the European chess throne. It is also an opportunity to, after 5 rounds, do a small summary of the competition so far.

In the oldest, U18 age group, in the boys category, 7 competitors are in the lead, with 4 points each. By additional criteria the first place belongs to the Armenian Manuel Petrosyan. At the top of the U16 age group, with a remarkable one point lead over the competition, is the representative of Cyprus International Master Andreas Kelires, while in the U14 age group three players are at the top, with 4.5 points each. Once again, by additional criteria, Armenian Aram Kakobyan is in the lead. The grandeur and supremacy of the Armenian chess school is again demonstrated by Mamikon Gharibyan who, with a perfect score, seized the top position in the U12 age group. U10 age group is topped by the Ilya Makoveev from Russia, also with a perfect score, while in the youngest U8 group Mikhei Navumenka from Belarus and Robert Piliposjan from Armenia are at the top with a perfect score each.

In the girls category, in the oldest, U18 age group, Nino Khomeriki from Georgia is in the lead with 4.5 points, followed by Ewa Harazinska from Poland with the same number of points. In the U16 age group, Anna-Maja Kazarian from Netherlands is in the lead, followed by Stavroula Tsolakidou from Greece, while girls from Russia are dominating the U14 age group with 4,5 points each. Due to additional criteria Polina Shuvalova is leading in front of Aleksandra Maltesevskaya and Anna Kochukova. The Russian dominance is confirmed in the U12 age group with a perfect score by Elizaveta Solozhenkina, while in the U10 age group a girl from Azerbaijan, Ayan Allahvediyeva, also has a perfect score. In the U8 age group Veronika Veremyuk from Ukraine has a perfect score.

If we look at the first part of the European Championship, the Armenian dominance is felt, especially in the men’s competition, while the girls category is somewhat dominated by the Russians.

(Ivan Mandekic)