Alkaloid routs Sharks 4NCL 6:0 in European Club Cup

Alkaloid opened the 41st European Club Cup with a commanding 6:0 victory, a result that underlines the Macedonian side's ambitions in this season's continental competition.

Drawn as the tournament's second seed after final team lists were published, Alkaloid faced England's Sharks 4NCL in the first round. Despite the opponent coming from the mid-table of their national circuit, Alkaloid showed complete control across all six boards.

Several fast wins decided the match inside roughly two hours: Aravind on board three, Puranik on board four and Ivić on board five converted early advantages and broke the resistance. The toughest battles were on boards one and two, where Erigaisi and Wei were given the chance to demonstrate their class.

Captain’s assessment

“Erigaisi, playing Black against strong international master Roberson, chose a rare but complex double-fianchetto line, provoked his opponent into aggressive play and outplayed him with tactical finesse. Wei, against English FIDE-master Holland, played a textbook game with White in a Sicilian attack with a long castling. Last to finish was GM Zvonko Stanojoski, who on board six faced the talented young master candidate Harry Bryant, gradually breaking down resistance and converting the advantage in the endgame,” said team captain GM Vlatko Bogdanovski.

In the other Macedonian entry, Multi Esens beat youth side Yildiz Chess Sport 3.5:2.5 on their international debut. The club secured full points on the boards where their players held the White pieces, taking two of three such games.

“On board one IM Emil Risteski realistically had no opportunity for more than a draw, while on board five Mateo Eftovski tried until the end to convert initiative, but that game also finished drawn. Meanwhile IM Toni Lazov on board three held a better position throughout the duel and successfully converted it. A candidate for the match's key player was IM Filip Panchevski, who on board two with Black managed to turn the position in his favor and win a full point, which decided the match. On board four Mihail Jordanov drew, while on board six WFM Monika Stojkovska, short on time, faced problems that led to a loss,” said team captain GM Trajko Nedev.

In round two Alkaloid meet Iceland's Breidablik, whose A-team — led by 23-year-old grandmaster Vignir Vatnar Stefansson — started with a 4:2 win over their own B-team. Multi Esens will face Germany's highest-ranked entrant among several clubs, Schachfreunde Berlin, which opened with a 6:0 victory over the Monaco representative.

Photo: press material from the event