Idman.biz
Azerbaijan's men's and women's national chess teams have made a successful start at the European Championship held in Batumi (Georgia) and are already preparing for meetings with strong opponents.
Idman.biz reports that our men's team won the first round against Slovakia with a score of 3:1. Shahriyar Mammadyarov and Aydin Suleymanli won, while Rauf Mammadov and Eltaj Safarli drew.
In the second round, the Azerbaijani team will face the Czech Republic. The Czech team has had an experienced leader like David Navara for a long time. There will be a change in the Azerbaijani national team: Mahammad Muradli will participate in this match instead of Eltaj Safarli.
Surprises were also recorded in the tournament. For example, in the men's team competition, one of the favorites, the German team, lost to Denmark with a score of 1.5:2.5 in the first round. Another favorite, the Hungarian team, also lost to Georgia with the same score. Georgians used an interesting tactic, bringing their leader and most experienced chess player, Baadur Jobava, to the third board. He scored points for his team and played a key role in winning.
The women's team defeated Slovenia 4:0 in the first round. The victory was secured by Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Govhar Beydullayeva, Gulnar Mammadova and Ayan Allahverdiyeva.
In the second round, our women's team will compete with Hungary. There will also be a change in the squad in this match - Khanim Balajayeva will replace Gulnar Mammadova.
The biggest surprise among women was in the match between Ukraine and Austria: the Ukrainians could not defeat their opponent, and the match ended in a 2:2 draw.
Teymur Tushiyev
