26th World Senior Chess Championship 2016, 50+ and 65+

In the category over 50, the favorites so far confirm their position. The national teams of the Czech Republic and Slovakia are in the lead with a full point gain. The match that will most likely determine the title of European Champion will be the match between the teams mentioned above in the eighth round. Two other Czech teams, SK Bohemia Pardubice and 1960-69, are also fighting for medal positions. The only player who has won all five games so far is the Slovak number two, Grandmaster Martin Mrva.

The situation in the category over 65 is much more balanced and it is more or less clear that the medalists will be determined in the final two rounds. The category is led by the Israel 1 team, which has gained the maximum number of points and has already beaten the two top ranked teams - the German Lasker Schachstiftung GK and the Czech „Lysa nad Labem - 100 years“. The Israeli team came to Prague without the great chess stars, but they benefit from the great quality of all the members. The first seeded team Lasker Schachstiftung GK lost only two match points and thus holds a separate second place. The third place is shared by three teams: the already mentioned Lysa nad Labem-100 years, the national team of Hungary and, surprisingly, also the Chess Academy Praha, in whose team IM Josef Pribyl excells on the 1st chessboard.

IM Petr Pisk

tournament director