- Group 9
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A - Champagne
Chess 29.0 (2) can pop up the corks. It is time to celebrate before
the tough road of the new season must be travelled.
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B - SK Essen
Holsterhausen 28.5 (0) and Ratinger SK 28.5 (0) came oh, so close!
They could not break the Maginot line this time, their one and
only concern (with everyone else left in their dust behind…).
These would have been league A results in some groups!
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C - Antares
2002 22.5 (1), Chess Mail Bears 22.5 (0) and Austrian Chess Amateurs
20.5 (1) waltzed in the league C. They will need a far better
performance next season to avoid being stuck there.
Rochade 5171 - Interstern
15.5 (1) desperately hold their place in line for the last league
C ticket, with Chess Today Kings 14.5 (3) having the upper hand
in case of a tiebreak.
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D - Four Brave
Englishmen 14.0 (0) and TGGT-b 11.5 (0) and Warmia i Mazury 9
(1) have fought bravely, but with very little to show for.
- Group 10
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A - SF Gerresheim
1986 30.5 (1) has no time to wonder how come their ridiculously
high result is not good enough for league A just yet. Chess Rubbers
29.5 (1) will fire their last bullet for better or worst.
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B - Sofia Chess
25.0 (0) could not compete with those two high-octane teams and
settled for a comfortable place in league B.
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C - Schlechter's
Erben 20.0 (0) and Latvians 19.5 (3) have no worries but a better
war plan for next season.
The struggle between
The President's Chessmen 18.5 (2), MagnitChess 18.0 (1) and South
Europe Chess Team 18.0 (1) will leave one of them out of league
C. The Presidential team has no tiebreak hope, so they must hold
onto their minimal lead. The other two are in a photo finish for
the moment, so I will even hold my breath…
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D - Zitadelle
Spandau C 16.5 (0) and Caballeros 64 14.5 (1) fell short. Bergetti
.com 5 (0) was completely outplayed and possibly dissolved.
- Group 11
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A - 2 teams
with the original average rating over 2400 are fighting together
for the top spot in this group. Estonia 25.5 (1) seems to have
a much easier task than FIDES Bratislava 24.0 (2). A win by the
first team and everything is settled. FIDES needs to win both
remaining games to hope for a tiebreak decision at 26.0. It must
be tough to get the short end of the stick for either team who
squeezed every ˝ they could get so far.
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B - Grupo de
Xadres do Porto 24.5 (1) can only reach a maximum of 25.5, not
enough to beat Estonia on tiebreak. They will get another shot
at league A next season.
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C - Zitadelle
Spadau A 22.5 (2) will only decide the fate of their Slovak friends,
since their place cannot be challenged anymore. Rochade 5171 -
Chess Hunters 20.0 (2) and CLAPDAC 19.5 (3) with a chance to win
the last 3 matches as consolation after their board 4 carried
everyone on his back to league C, are in.
What I see is what
I grab 18.5 (3) must grab now at least ˝ point from 3. Their direct
match with the Italians on board 1 is somewhat important for 7th
spot.
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D - Italica
Scacchi 13.0 (6) needs to win them all (especially their direct
game vs the Spaniards on board 1) and hope their counterparts
totally collapse right at the end. I find this scenario rather
unlikely especially since it took me a few good minutes to figure
out the situation here…
Schachfreunde Buer
21/74 15.5 (0), Discendo Discimus 1852 13.0 (2) and Szachowa Vistula
11.0 (4) have scored more than other league D teams from around
the league. However it was still not enough.
- Group 12
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A - Kings of
TCCMB 28.5 (0) edged the competition by the smallest diamond of
their Crown: ˝ of a point. With 3 out of 4 members verbally active
on TCCMB as well, there is little doubt left who really walks
the walk and talks the talk today. Good luck in league A!
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B - Zasilatelstvi
Zeleznik Pardubice 28.0 (0) could consider following the leader
by example and become more outspoken on TCCMB next season for
a similar result as the Kings. Their long team name is a start,
so there's hope. Rochade 5171 - Young Stars 22.5 (0) proved that
age is a tiny bit better than beauty in any form (such as gambits…)
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C - The Gambiteers
Guild 22.0 (0) got in my opinion a good overall result, much better
than a lot would have credited them at the beginning. Zugzwang
Bocholt III 21.5 (0) and Diabolik Chess 21.0 (0) were average.
Tijuca Tenis Clube
- Brasil 19.5 (0) can only watch from the stands now and see what
result the European Latin encounter from board 3 will be. Their
˝ point advantage on the Romanian team goes together with a favourable
tiebreak as assets. Will it be enough? Chimia Ramnicu Vilcea 19.0
(1) must find enough stamina left to score the full point and
overpass the Brasilians, or their newest LGM on board 1 will have
a tough choice to make: play in league D next season, or leave
for another team and league…
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D - En Passant
17.0 (0), USCAD 14.0 (0) and Hong Kong CC Club 6.0 (0) were passed
by everyone else before the finish line.
Group 13-
A/B - Very tight
finish for this lucky/ unlucky number group. It is also the craziest
to look at even now after 95% of the games are finished!
The Good Knights 22.0
(3), Blue Team 21.5 (4) and Telaxoza 21.5 (2) are surprisingly
fighting for the top honours. The two Latin teams need minimum
1 point to relegate Polish Lions all the way to league C.
CC Slovakofarma Hlohovec
19.0 (5) is the original top team and theoretically can win the
group, or can go all the way down to league C... I prefer not
to venture much than saying that anyone emerging as a winner will
have a huge task in front of them next season. Talk about being
rewarded for a good result!
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C - Will predict
that Polish Lions 22.0 (0) have no chance at anything higher than
this. Joining them in league C will be one original top team The
Norsemen 21.5 (0).
FS-TSG Wismar 20.5
(2) holds the tiebreak over Malaga 19.0 (2), needing only ˝ points
for the 7th spot.
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D - Chessknights
Tango 19.0 (0) and to some extend Israel Team 15.5 (1) were in
the fight for more; however 13 proved unlucky for both this time
around.
Rochade 5171 - Caissa's
Finest 7.5 (3) managed just a tie match so far. Without wins it
is very hard to move up the ladder.
- Group 14
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A/B - This is
another complicated group. Safer Sacs Berlin 27.5 (5) have dropped
very few points up to now. Their challengers seem to be Stamp-Kielce
24.0 (4) with an important game between them on board 4. Brevnov
Knights 25.0 (2) and Chess Owls 24.5 (1) are in the fight for
league B. Special mention goes here to the German Owls for their
8 matches won in this campaign! It would be a pity for them to
go in league C. However if that happens, their stay there could
be very short.
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C - Povazske
Podhradie 23.0 (0) - where do these names come from anyway? -
Tuculca 19.0 (0) and ZIKUDA Liberec 17.5 (4) have no worries anymore.
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D - Mitropa
Schachfreunde 14.5 (0) were too friendly. International Pawn Chasers
Unite 13.5 (4) and TGGT 13.0 (4) are playing only for personal
glory. Rochade 5171 - Underdogs 6.5 (0) might force their club
to substitute quantity for quality in the upcoming season.
- Group 15
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A/B - Flemish
Queens 26.0 (0) hold a more fragile lead than it looks now. East
Slovakia Chess 23.0 (7) with plenty of fuel left, Imperium Szachow
- Wieruszow 25.5 (3) and Kazakh CC Federation - KCCF 22.5 (5)
will decide their own destiny. One of them four will only be in
league C next season...
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C - DBV-Winterthur
Stralsund 24.0 (1) has very little hope at anything better. Swiss
64 22.0 (1) joined them with a little disappointing result.
I Disuniti Chess Club
15.5 (7) holds a big upper hand over Latvian Knights 15.0 (3)
and will most probably play in league C.
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D - Another
Rochade 5171 - Bears 12.0 (3) in the same zone as others from
the same club. Resistance is Futile 9.0 (2) and CCI II Wiesbaden
7.5 (4) have played much too relaxed for anything serious.