Dzagnidze played a draw in her final match against Russia’s Natalija Pogonina today, concluding the tournament with 8.5 points.

Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina finished in overall second place with eight points, as she also played a draw in her final match against Elisabeth Paehtz.

The third place finisher in the competition was also from Russia, Alisa Galliamova, who finished with eight points.

The leaders were followed by another 12 chess players which concluded the tournament with 7.5 points. The top eleven of them have also qualified for the Chess World Cup.

They are (in order): Kateryna Lagno (Russia), Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine), Monika Socko (Poland), Elina Danielian (Armenia), Elisabeth Paehtz (Germany), Marina Nechaeva (Russia), Bela Khotenashvili (Georgia), Natalia Zhukova (Ukraine), Natalija Pogonina (Russia), Hoang Thanh Trang (Hungary) and Anita Gara (Hungary).

Since only the top 14 finishers in the competition qualify for the Chess World Cup, 15th place finisher Inna Gaponenko (Ukraine) failed to qualify for the tournament, even though she too finished with 7.5 points.

Meanwhile, Latvia’s top chess player Ilze Berzina played a draw in her final match against Greece’s Ioulia Makka today, finishing with 5.5points and in 69th place.

Four players are currently in the lead after the seventh round of the competition.

Georgia’s Nana Dzagnidze, Armenia’s Elina Danielan, as well as Aleksandra Goryachkina and Daria Pustovoitova, both from Russia, currently have 5.5 points each after the first seven rounds of the tournament.

After a day off on Tuesday, the tournament resumes today when Dzagnidze and Danielan will meet at the table, while the other featured game will take place between the two Russian players.

The leaders are followed by 15 other players who currently have five points.

Meanwhile, Latvia’s top chess player Ilze Berzina currently has four points and is in 36th place in the tournament’s standings. Berzina will take on German chess player Sarah Hoolt today, who is in 37th place in the tournament’s standings at the moment.

As reported, the European Women’s Chess Championship is taking place at Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija in Riga through April 22. Latvia is represented by seventeen players at the championship.

The players finishing in the first 14 places at the European tournament in Riga will qualify for the Chess World Cup.

This is the 14-year-old Golsta’s debut in a senior chess competition. ”It is an amazing experience to be competing in this tournament, with many excellent players. I initially was not too sure of myself, and thought I would lose my matches. However, I started playing and it was not so bad. I got my confidence back,” Golste said, adding that this is an excellently organized tournament.

”It is better than competing abroad. Our Internet speed is fast, which is not the case sometime when playing abroad. This helps me prepare for my matches,” she said.
Madara, and her twin sister Ramona, are near the end of the tournament’s standings at the moment with 1.5 points a piece.

She added that she is missing school this week because of the tournament, and that it is hard keeping up with her school work and preparing for her matches at the same time.

”Waking up at 7 a.m. to prepare for my matches and get my school work done has been tough on me,” Golste said, adding that she is looking forward to her day off today, but will certainly be preparing for her next match.

Goryachkina, 18, twice world junior girls chess champion, has won 4.5 points of 5 after the first five rounds at the European tournament which
is taking place in Riga.

Nine players follow Goryachkina with four points each. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Anna Muzychenko, who is seen as the tournament’s favorite, has
earned 3.5 points so far, which leaves her outside the top ten at the moment.

Ilze Berzina, the leading Latvian player, suffered her first a defeat at this championship against 17th-seeded Bela Khotenashvili of Georgia. With three points, Berzina is currently in 37th place in the overall standings.

In the sixth round on Sunday, Berzina will take on Russia’s Natalija Pogonina.

As reported, the European Women’s Chess Championship is taking place at Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija in Riga through April 22. Latvia is
represented by seventeen players at the championship.

The players finishing in the first 14 places at the European tournament in Riga will qualify for the Chess World Cup.

The fourth-seeded Dzagnidze defeated 42nd-seed Petra Papp of Hungary in their pairing on Thursday. Dzagnidze will take on the tournament’s first-seed Anna Muzychuk in a much anticipated pairing on Friday. Muzychuk played a draw in her third board against Germany’s Sarah Hoolt.

Meanwhile, Latvia’s top lady chess player Ilze Berzina, who is the tournament’s 66th seed, defeated the talented Stavroula Tsolakidou of Greece in their pairing on Thursday.

After the first three rounds of the tournament, Dzagnidze is in sole first place with three points, with another 25 players, including Muzychuk and Berzina, tied for second place with 2.5 points a piece.

In her fourth pairing on Friday, Berzina will take on 21st-seeded Elina Danielian of Armenia, who also has 2.5 points at the moment.

The fourth-round matches will start at 3 p.m. today.

As reported, the European Women’s Chess Championship is taking place at Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija in Riga through April 22. Latvia is represented by seventeen players at the championship.

As reported, the European Individual Women’s Chess Championship got under way in the Latvian capital on Tuesday. The first day of the tournament was not very successful for the Latvian chess players as Berzina’s win over 14-years-old compatriot Madara Golsta was the only victory for Latvia.

“I won, but this was a tough match – I could feel that my rival was well prepared. I had the black pieces, and the first game is always the most difficult,” said Berzina. “There is always slight nervousness before each tournament. When the game is on, most of it disappears, but anyway, the first games are always interesting and the results are so to say, incorrect.”

As reported, a total of eleven rounds will be played during the championship through April 22, with one day off on April 18. The matches will start at 3 p.m. on all days, except April 22 when the matches will begin at 11 a.m. The award ceremony will also be on April 22 at 8 p.m.

Berzina said she did not manage to find a colleague to cover for her at work, so she goes to work in the morning and plays chess at the European tournament in the afternoon.

“I would have taken a leave if I could, but unfortunately there was nobody to stand in for me. The goal is definitely not to place tenth or twentieth in this competition, but of course I will do my best to take the highest place possible,” Berzina said.

As for other Latvian chess players participating in the European tournament, Berzina believes that good results can also be expected of Grandmaster Inguna Erneste.

“Agnese Lickrastin has had less experience lately, maybe the young ones will show something, but it is hard to tell,” Berzina said. “The top favorites are the Muzychuk sisters of Ukraine and Kateryna Lagno of Russia. But on the whole, the top ten players will battle it out among themselves.”

Berzina also praised the organizers of the tournament, saying that there is good lighting, air conditioning, water and coffee at the venue of the championship – the Omega hall at the Radisson Blu Hotel.

“Latvians know how to organize a competition. I am glad that we are hosting such a tournament, and I will do all I can to show my best result,” Grandmaster Berzina said.

The first-round matches will start at 3 p.m. at Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija.

A total of eleven rounds will be played today through April 22, with one
day off on April 18. The matches will start at 3 p.m. on all days,
except April 22 when the matches will begin at 11 a.m. The award
ceremony will also be on April 22 at 8 p.m.

The tournament’s prize fund is EUR 75,000. The organizers note that the
championship has brought together the best players from all over Europe,
including seven former European champions and the highest-ranked chess
player in Europe at the moment – Anna Muzychuk from Ukraine.

Latvia will be represented by fifteen players at the championship. The
highest-ranked Latvian participating in the tournament is Grandmaster
Ilze Berzina whose FIDE ranking is 2323.

The tour will take place on April 18 from 10:00 to 15:30