European Team Chess Championship
The European Team Championship is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of European nations whose chess federations are located in zones 1.1 to 1.9. This more or less accords with the wider definition of Europe used in other events such as the Eurovision Song Contest and includes Israel, Russia and the former Soviet States. The competition is run under the auspices of the European Chess Union.
Championship history
The idea was conceived in the early 1950s, when chess organisers became aware of the need for another international team event. Consequently, a men-only Championship was devised and held every four years, with the intention of filling in the gaps between Olympiads. More recently, the Championship has grown in importance and popularity and is regarded as a prestigious tournament in its own right, providing for male and female participants.The first Championship Final was held in Vienna and Baden bei Wien in 1957. It was a double round robin and notable for the surprise victory of the Yugoslav team over the mighty Soviet team in their second encounter.
For the next twenty years, Championships occurred at four-year intervals, although the Kapfenberg event was delayed by a year. Since 1977, successive tournaments have mainly been held on a three and then a two-year cycle. A Women's Championship, following the same cycle and venues as the men's, was established at Debrecen in 1992.
Championship format
Over the early years, the formula altered incrementally, to allow the participation of a growing number of teams. At the inaugural event, only four places were made available for the Finals and some teams expected to do well, simply failed to qualify from the preliminary rounds. By 1973, the competition had expanded to roughly double the size and there were twenty-four nations in the preliminaries, competing for eight places in the Finals, held in Bath. Conversely, over the same period, the number of boards played in a match was reduced from ten to eight, presumably to reduce costs for organisers and participatory federations.Into the new millennium, the format has changed radically and is now based on a Swiss system in nine rounds, on the model of the Olympiad, with one section for the men's teams and one section for the women's teams, considered as separate competitions. At Gothenburg in 2005, the men's competition comprised 40 teams and the women's competition, 26 teams. Each round was contested over four boards and squads included a reserve.
Historically, teams played for the pleasure of winning the Europa Cup, but nowadays this has been overshadowed by the popular medal-winning format of the 'Olympics' and Chess Olympiad. Gold, Silver and Bronze medals are awarded to the top three teams and also as board prizes for outstanding individual performances.
Plovdiv 2003 heralded a major change in the scoring methodology. Both the men's and women's events were, for the first time, scored by total of match points, rather than game points as had previously been the case. Game points are still recorded for purposes of tie-breaking.
Summary of results
Open section
| Year | Location | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1957 |  Vienna | ' Paul Keres David Bronstein Mikhail Tal Boris Spassky Tigran Petrosian Vasily Smyslov Mark Taimanov Viktor Korchnoi Alexander Tolush Isaac Boleslavsky Yuri Averbakh Lev Aronin | ' Svetozar Gligorić Aleksandar Matanovic Borislav Ivkov Petar Trifunovic Andrija Fuderer Nikola Karaklajic Srecko Nedeljkovic Borislav Milic Mario Bertok Braslav Rabar Božidar Đurašević Tomislav Rakic | ' Miroslav Filip Ludek Pachman Ladislav Alster František Zíta Július Kozma Ján Šefc Jiří Fichtl František Pithart Josef Rejfir Jaroslav Ježek František Blatný Maximilian Ujtelky |
| 1961 |  Oberhausen | ' Mikhail Botvinnik Mikhail Tal Paul Keres Tigran Petrosian Vasily Smyslov Viktor Korchnoi Efim Geller Mark Taimanov Lev Polugaevsky Semen Furman Alexander Tolush Vladimir Bagirov | ' Svetozar Gligorić Petar Trifunovic Aleksandar Matanovic Mario Bertok Milan Matulović Mijo Udovcic Dragoljub Ciric Borislav Milic Srecko Nedeljkovic Dragoljub Minic Dražen Marović Božidar Đurašević | ' László Szabó Lajos Portisch Gedeon Barcza István Bilek Tibor Florian Karoly Honfi Ervin Haag József Pogáts Gyozo Forintos Levente Lengyel Jozsef Szily Laszlo Navarovszky |
| 1965 | Hamburg | ' Tigran Petrosian Mikhail Botvinnik Viktor Korchnoi Vasily Smyslov David Bronstein Leonid Stein Mark Taimanov Yuri Averbakh Nikolai Krogius Isaac Boleslavsky Anatoly Lein Anatoly Lutikov | ' Borislav Ivkov Svetozar Gligorić Aleksandar Matanovic Milan Matulović Bruno Parma Petar Trifunovic Mato Damjanovic Mijo Udovcic Dragoljub Ciric Dragoljub Minic Dražen Marović Ivan Buljovcic | ' Lajos Portisch László Szabó István Bilek Levente Lengyel Gedeon Barcza Gyozo Forintos Karoly Honfi Peter Dely Janos Flesch Gyula Kluger József Pogáts Laszlo Navarovszky |
| 1970 | Kapfenberg | ' Tigran Petrosian Viktor Korchnoi Lev Polugaevsky Efim Geller Vasily Smyslov Mark Taimanov Mikhail Tal Paul Keres Leonid Stein Ratmir Kholmov Yuri Balashov Aivars Gipslis | ' Lajos Portisch Levente Lengyel László Szabó Gedeon Barcza Laszlo Barczay István Bilek Peter Dely István Csom Gyozo Forintos Karoly Honfi Andras Adorjan Ervin Haag | ' Wolfgang Uhlmann Burkhard Malich Reinhart Fuchs Artur Hennings Heinz Liebert Lothar Zinn Friedrich Baumbach Lutz Espig Werner Golz Lothar Vogt Manfred Schöneberg Detlef Neukirch |
| 1973 |  Bath | ' Boris Spassky Tigran Petrosian Viktor Korchnoi Anatoly Karpov Mikhail Tal Vasily Smyslov Efim Geller Gennady Kuzmin Vladimir Tukmakov Yuri Balashov | ' Svetozar Gligorić Borislav Ivkov Ljubomir Ljubojević Aleksandar Matanovic Bruno Parma Albin Planinc Dragoljub Velimirovic Milan Matulović Enver Bukic Dragoljub Minic | ' Lajos Portisch László Szabó István Bilek Zoltán Ribli István Csom Gyozo Forintos Andras Adorjan Gyula Sax Karoly Honfi Janos Tompa |
| 1977 |  Moscow | ' Anatoly Karpov Tigran Petrosian Lev Polugaevsky Mikhail Tal Yuri Balashov Efim Geller Oleg Romanishin Vitaly Tseshkovsky Iosif Dorfman Evgeny Sveshnikov | ' Lajos Portisch Zoltán Ribli Gyula Sax István Csom Andras Adorjan Ivan Farago László Vadász Laszlo Barczay Peter Lukacs Laszlo Hazai | ' Ljubomir Ljubojević Svetozar Gligorić Aleksandar Matanovic Dragoljub Velimirovic Bruno Parma Borislav Ivkov Enver Bukic Krunoslav Hulak Milorad Knezevic Srdjan Marangunic |
| 1980 |  Skara | ' Anatoly Karpov Mikhail Tal Tigran Petrosian Lev Polugaevsky Efim Geller Yuri Balashov Oleg Romanishin Rafael Vaganian Artur Yusupov Garry Kasparov | ' Lajos Portisch Zoltán Ribli Andras Adorjan Gyula Sax István Csom Ivan Farago László Vadász József Pintér Peter Lukacs Laszlo Hazai | ' Tony Miles Michael Stean John Nunn Jonathan Speelman Raymond Keene William Hartston Jonathan Mestel Robert Bellin John Littlewood Simon Webb |
| 1983 |  Plovdiv | ' Anatoly Karpov Lev Polugaevsky Tigran Petrosian Rafael Vaganian Alexander Beliavsky Vladimir Tukmakov Lev Psakhis Oleg Romanishin Artur Yusupov Efim Geller | ' Ljubomir Ljubojević Svetozar Gligorić Predrag Nikolić Vlatko Kovačević Bojan Kurajica Krunoslav Hulak Dusan Rajkovic Bozidar Ivanović Stefan Djuric Mišo Cebalo | ' Lajos Portisch Zoltán Ribli Gyula Sax József Pintér Andras Adorjan István Csom Ivan Farago Atilla Groszpeter Atilla Schneider Tamas Horvath |
| 1989 |  Haifa | ' Valery Salov Alexander Beliavsky Rafael Vaganian Mikhail Gurevich Boris Gelfand Lev Polugaevsky Viacheslav Eingorn Vladimir Tukmakov | ' Ivan Sokolov Krunoslav Hulak Bogdan Lalić Miodrag Todorcevic Vlatko Kovačević Dragan Barlov Ognen Cvitan Stefan Djuric | ' Robert Hübner Vlastimil Hort Eric Lobron Stefan Kindermann Matthias Wahls Joerg Hickl Klaus Bischoff Stefan Mohr |
| 1992 |  Debrecen | ' Garry Kasparov Evgeny Bareev Vladimir Kramnik Alexei Dreev Alexey Vyzmanavin | ' Vassily Ivanchuk Alexander Beliavsky Oleg Romanishin Viacheslav Eingorn Igor Novikov | ' Nigel Short Jonathan Speelman Michael Adams John Nunn Tony Miles |
| 1997 |  Pula | ' Nigel Short Michael Adams Jonathan Speelman Matthew Sadler Julian Hodgson | ' Evgeny Bareev Peter Svidler Vadim Zvjaginsev Igor Glek Yuri Yakovich | ' Vladimir Akopian Rafael Vaganian Smbat Lputian Artashes Minasian Ashot Anastasian |
| 1999 |  Batumi | ' Smbat Lputian Artashes Minasian Ashot Anastasian Levon Aronian Arshak Petrosian | ' Peter Leko Judit Polgár Zoltán Almási Alexander Chernin József Pintér | ' Artur Yusupov Robert Hübner Rustem Dautov Christopher Lutz Christian Gabriel |
| 2001 |  León | ' Loek van Wely Jeroen Piket Sergei Tiviakov Erik van den Doel Friso Nijboer | ' Étienne Bacrot Joël Lautier Christian Bauer Jean-Marc Degraeve Laurent Fressinet | ' Christopher Lutz Robert Hübner Gerald Hertneck Klaus Bischoff Rainer Buhmann |
| 2003 | Plovdiv | ' Peter Svidler Evgeny Bareev Alexander Grischuk Alexander Morozevich Alexander Khalifman | ' Boris Gelfand Ilia Smirin Emil Sutovsky Boris Avrukh Michael Roiz | ' Zurab Azmaiparashvili Baadur Jobava Mikheil Mchedlishvili Giorgi Kacheishvili Merab Gagunashvili |
| 2005 | Gothenburg | ' Loek van Wely Ivan Sokolov Sergei Tiviakov Jan Timman Erik van den Doel | ' Boris Gelfand Emil Sutovsky Ilia Smirin Boris Avrukh Sergey Erenburg | ' Étienne Bacrot Joël Lautier Iosif Dorfman Laurent Fressinet Christian Bauer |
| 2007 |  Crete | ' Peter Svidler Alexander Morozevich Alexander Grischuk Evgeny Alekseev Dmitry Jakovenko | ' Levon Aronian Vladimir Akopian Gabriel Sargissian Karen Asrian Smbat Lputian | ' Teimour Radjabov Vugar Gashimov Qadir Huseynov Shakhriyar Mamedyarov Rauf Mammadov |
| 2009 |  Novi Sad | ' Teimour Radjabov Vugar Gashimov Qadir Huseynov Shakhriyar Mamedyarov Rauf Mammadov | ' Peter Svidler Alexander Morozevich Dmitry Jakovenko Evgeny Alekseev Evgeny Tomashevsky | ' Pavel Eljanov Andrei Volokitin Zahar Efimenko Yuri Drozdovskij Yuriy Kryvoruchko |
| 2011 | Porto Carras | ' Arkadij Naiditsch Georg Meier Daniel Fridman Jan Gustafsson Rainer Buhmann | ' Teimour Radjabov Vugar Gashimov Shakhriyar Mamedyarov Qadir Huseynov Eltaj Safarli | ' Peter Leko Zoltán Almási Ferenc Berkes Csaba Balogh Zoltan Gyimesi |
| 2013 |  Warsaw | ' Shakhriyar Mamedyarov Teimour Radjabov Eltaj Safarli Rauf Mamedov Qadir Huseynov | ' Etienne Bacrot Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Romain Edouard Vladislav Tkachiev Hicham Hamdouchi | ' Alexander Grischuk Peter Svidler Dmitry Andreikin Alexander Morozevich Evgeny Tomashevsky |
| 2015 |  Reykjavik | ' Peter Svidler Alexander Grischuk Evgeny Tomashevsky Ian Nepomniachtchi Dmitry Jakovenko | ' Levon Aronian Gabriel Sargissian Sergei Movsesian Hrant Melkumyan Karen H. Grigoryan | ' Peter Leko Richárd Rapport Zoltán Almási Ferenc Berkes Csaba Balogh |
| 2017 | Crete | ' Shakhriyar Mamedyarov Teimour Radjabov Arkadij Naiditsch Rauf Mamedov Gadir Guseinov | ' Alexander Grischuk Ian Nepomniachtchi Nikita Vitiugov Maxim Matlakov Daniil Dubov | ' Pavel Eljanov Yuriy Kryvoruchko Ruslan Ponomariov Yuriy Kuzubov Martyn Kravtsiv |
| 2019 |  Batumi | ' Dmitry Andreikin Nikita Vitiugov Kirill Alekseenko Maxim Matlakov Daniil Dubov | ' Vassily Ivanchuk Yuriy Kuzubov Andrei Volokitin Alexander Moiseenko Vladimir Onischuk | ' Michael Adams Luke McShane David Howell Gawain Jones Nicholas Pert |