Idman.biz
The Azerbaijani men's national chess team could become European champion for the fourth time in its history. However, several factors must coincide for this to happen.
Idman.Biz reminds that in the team competition of the continental championship held in Batumi (Georgia), our team won 2.5:1.5 over Ukraine in the eighth round, the penultimate one.
Before this victory, the Ukrainian team was the undisputed leader of the tournament table. Rauf Mammadov secured the decisive victory for our team.
After this success, the team scores of Azerbaijan and Ukraine are equal - 13 points each. However, according to the first additional indicator, our team loses to its opponent by only one point (Ukraine - 168, Azerbaijan - 167). At the same time, in the second additional indicator, Azerbaijan is ahead of Ukraine - 19.5 points against 19.
So how can the Azerbaijani team overtake Ukraine, which will play against England in the last round, while they will face Serbia?
First, it is necessary to understand how points are calculated in team chess competitions. The main indicator is the points for teams: 2 points for a victory, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a defeat.
The first additional indicator reflects the strength of the opponents the team faced during the tournament. This indicator is calculated as follows: how many points each of the team's opponents scored in the tournament, and the result obtained against that opponent is multiplied by that opponent's points. Then, this is added up for all opponents, and the result against the weakest opponent is not taken into account.
Thus, the stronger the opponents and the more successful the team has been against them, the higher this indicator is.
The second additional indicator (where Azerbaijan is already ahead) shows the sum of the points scored on the boards in all matches.
If Azerbaijan and Ukraine, which currently have 13 points, achieve the same result in the last round, everything will depend on how successful the opponents they faced during the tournament are. If the opponents of the Azerbaijani team show better results in the last round, this will increase the team's overall coefficient and bring it to the first place.
If the first additional indicator is also equal, the second one will be taken into account in the next stage - that is, the sum of the points scored on the boards. If this indicator is also the same, then the direct confrontation of the teams will be taken as the basis. The advantage in that match is on the side of the Azerbaijani national team.
According to experts, it would be more logical to take this indicator into account in the first place. Faig Hasanov, the first vice-president of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation, also noted this in his statement to Idman.Biz on the eve of the last round of the European Championship: "I proposed this rule 20 years ago - first look at personal meetings, then take other indicators into account."
Of course, if the Azerbaijani team defeats Serbia and Ukraine loses to England, all these calculations can be put aside.
It should be noted that the Azerbaijani men's national chess team has previously become European champion three times - in 2009, 2013 and 2017.
In addition, the Azerbaijani women's national team is in sixth place with 10 points on the eve of the last round. Regardless of the result, our female chess players have already lost the opportunity to be among the prize winners. Moreover, in the last round, they will face Poland, which is currently considered the strongest team.
Teymur Tushiyev
