SK Alkaloid secures 28th national team title, 14th consecutive
A 5.5–0.5 victory over SK Gostivar completed a perfect 18-point tally from nine rounds.
On 29 August 2026 SK Alkaloid clinched its 28th Macedonian team championship and the 14th in succession after a commanding 5.5–0.5 win in the final round against SK Gostivar. The club finished the tournament with a perfect 18 points from nine rounds, never giving rivals a realistic chance to challenge for the crown.
Since North Macedonia's independence, Alkaloid has taken the title 28 times in 34 appearances, underlining long-term dominance in team chess at national level.
The club relied on a young core — IM Emil Risteski, IM Filip Panchevski, IM Toni Lazov and IM Dejan Stojanovski — supported by grandmasters Zvonko Stanojoski, Trajko Nedev and Dragoljub Jacimovic. They were further strengthened on the top two boards by Serbian grandmasters Aleksandar Indjic (European champion for 2024) and Velimir Ivic.
Top individual performances
IM Toni Lazov finished as Alkaloid’s most successful player with 7.5 points from eight games, followed by IM Dejan Stojanovski with 6.5/7 and IM Emil Risteski with 5.5/6.
“Ahead of the Championship we always prepare and are motivated to play and compete for the championship title, but after such a run I believe my statement that SK Alkaloid dominates team chess in Macedonia is accurate. I am satisfied with what was shown, everyone gave their maximum, in no match did we allow ourselves to be outplayed. Special praise also goes to the young players of SK Multi Esens, who again were in contention for the trophy and who fought for third place until the last game,” said team captain GM Dragoljub Jacimovic.
SK Multi Esens ultimately placed fourth: despite a 5.5–0.5 victory over the experienced SK Prilep in the final round, they fell one point short of the bronze. Their campaign produced five wins, one draw and three losses. The side was led by grandmasters Leon Livaic and Luka Draskovic, with Mihail Jordanov, Mateo Eftovski, Stojan Velkoski, Nikola Pavleski, Kiril Nikolovski and Dino Tabakovski also contributing.
Alkaloid completed a double national crown this season, as their women’s team had earlier secured the title in the female competition. The next assignment for SK Alkaloid will be the European Club Cup, scheduled in Montenegro in mid-October.
Photo: press material from the event
