The twins Raphael and Lionel Gut playing for the school chess professionals (DSSP) provided a show in the U16 premier class. For the first time in the history of the Swiss chess, a tie-break between two brothers occurred in the fight for a championship title. They had 5,5 points out of seven rounds each (Raphael Gut drew against Marc Cristian Arsenie [SK Bern/3], his brother and Emanuel Angelovski [SC Seebach/4.], Lionel Gut played against Suvirr Malli [SK Olten/8.], his brother and also against Angelovski), they had to stand against each other for gold and silver.

In the first two tiebreak games with 10 minutes plus 10 seconds the twins divided the points. In the blitz games of 5 minutes plus 3 seconds, Raphael won 2:0.

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Previous Swiss junior and youth champions

U16

2025: Raphael Gut

2024: Teimur Toktomushev

2023: Jakub Kwiatkowski

2022: Seyed Arvin Kasipour Azbari

2021: Igor Schlegel

2020: Niels Stijve

2019: Gohar Tamrazyan

2018: Noah Fecker

2017: Fabian Bänziger

2016: Fabian Bänziger

2015: Davide Arcuti

U14

2025: Colin Federer

2024: Colin Federer

2023: Lionel Gut

2022: Matthias Mattenberger

2021: Mikayel Zargarov

2020: Raphael Erne

2019: Lennox Binz

2018: Niels Stijve

2017: Noah Fecker

2016: Mircea Gherghel Bhutan

2015: Fabian Bänziger

2014: Thomas Goldie

2013: Martin Schweighoffer

2012: Davide Arcuti

2011: Aurélien Pomini

2010: Nico Georgiadis

2009: Benedict Hasenohr

2008: Alex Lienhard

2007: Gabriel Gähwiler

2006: Jonathan Rosenthal

2005: Marco Lehmann

2004: Emanuel Schiendorfer

2003: Lukas Muheim

2002: Damian Karrer

2001: Aurelio Colmenares

2000: Donjan Rodic

1999: Oliver Kurmann

1998: Corinne Rölli

U12

2025: Marius Neuschild

2024: Jan Saminskij

2023: Colin Federer

2022: Kala Kishan Udipi

2021: Cristian Marc Arsenie

2020: Julius Scherler

2019: Flavio Rotunno

2018: Dorian Asllani

2017: Igor Schlegel

2016: Noah Fecker

2015: Daniel Fischer

2014: Daniel Fischer

2013: Fabian Bänziger

2012: Benjamin Brandis

2011: Peter Wallmüller

2010: Martin Schweighoffer

2009: Fabian Welch

2008: Ivan Retti

2007: Lars Rindlisbacher

2006: Gabriel Gähwiler

2005: Jingle Li

2004: Sebastian Muheim

2003: Yannick Borel

2002: Kambez Nuri

2001: Lukas Muheim

2000: Lukas Muheim

1999: Donjan Rodic

1998: Donjan Rodic 

U10

2025: Grigorios Emmanouil Toumpakaris

2024: Marius Neuschild

2023: Anna Rosset

2022: Jan Saminskij

2021: Colin Federer

2020: Mikhail Akinkhov

2019: Lionel Gut

2018: Kala Kishan Udipi

2017: Aryan Anand

2016: Deyan Samuil Kostov

2015: Igor Schlegel

2014: Gohar Tamrazyan

2013: Daniel Fischer

2012: Fabian Bänziger

2011: Denis Perman

2010: Benjamin Brandis

2009: Martin Schweighoffer

2008: Vincent Burgener

2007: Jonas Lampert 

U8

2025: David Sadeh

2024: Ruben Rosset

2023: Sahasra Aragonda

2022: Leon Krokowski-Bednarz

2021: Marco Wilhelm

At European Women’s Chess Championship 2025 she showcased her potential by defeating higher-rated opponents such as IM Teodora Injac, WGM Jolanta Zawadzka, and IM Lela Javakhishvili, while also securing a draw against IM Mai Narva. With the round 5 win against GM Elina Danielian, Anastasia Kirtadze is among the leaders of the event with 4,5/5. This also means additional 138 ELO points for her.

EIWCC 2025: European Women’s Chess Championship 2025 / EIWCC preview / Live games with computer analysis / List of European Women Chess Champions Reports: Round 1 / Round 2 / Round 3 / Round 4

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Anastasia Kirtadze – Elina Danielian 1-0

The event for Saad Abobaker Elmi comes right after the European Club Cup, where he played on board 1 for Bærum Schakselskap , scoring 5,5/7 and adding 30 Elo points. Now a round before the end of the World Youth 2024, Saad Abobaker Elmi has added extra 26 Elo to his rating.

Replay the games from World Youth Chess 2024 with analysis

Tarjei Svensen says, “18-year-old Saad Abobaker Elmi has made history as the first Norwegian of African origin to secure the IM title, clinching his final norm and the 2400 requirement in the World Youth U18 in Brazil.”

The previous record was set by John Burke, who achieved it at 14 years and 2 months old. He achieved it ahead of other prodigies like Abhi Mishra, Pragg, Wei Yi, Abdusattorov, and Carlsen.

Throwback: 12-year-old Abhimanyu Mishra becomes the youngest GM in chess history

Tarjei Svensen from Chess.com says, “The Turkish Grandmaster now has around 2.5 years if he wants to break Wei Yi’s record as the youngest-ever 2700 player, which Wei achieved when he was aged 15 years and nine months. Firouzja, Gukesh, and Carlsen had all turned 16 when they broke the barrier.”

The prodigy has already secured backing from Turkish investor Evren Ucok, co-founder of one of the world’s top e-commerce companies, and he has been coached by a number of grandmasters. Among them is world-class GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, who previously told Chess.com:

“I am very pleased to work with Yagiz. I see him as a player who can reach 2800 and become a future world champion.”

The top players in the European Youth Chess 2024 U18 Girls are Noga Orian, Kata Karacsonyi, Mariia Manko, Juliette Cornileau, Enrica Zito, Lucia Sevcikova, Maria Siekanska, Sofiia Tashkinova, Agnesa Stepania Ter-Avetisjana, Dana Kochavi, Paula Suarez Gomez

European Youth Chess 2024 U18 Girls – participants

Chessdom will provide daily coverage of the European Youth Chess Championship 2024, with online games, results, reports, and more. Follow the links below for detailed information and see the coverage on Twitter/X

Live: European Youth Chess 2024 live

European Youth Chess 2024 participants: Open U18 / Open U16 / Open U14 / Open U12 / Open U10 / Open U8 / Girls U18 / Girls U16 / Girls U14 / Girls U12 / Girls U10 / Girls U8

Tournament schedule

This exciting event provides a platform for schools from FIDE and ISF member countries, as well as students from around the world* ( *Except for schools from Russia and Belarus), to connect with chess enthusiasts from across the globe and showcase their skills in an official international chess tournament.

With chess in schools becoming increasingly important, organizers of the FIDE – ISF World School Teams Online Chess Cup 2023 are eager to support this initiative to integrate chess into the school educational system.

“Chess is a unique game – both extremely sportive and educational. We are excited to organize the Online Schools Chess Championship together with ISF. It is a great event that we hope will create a competitive mood but also motivate the school leaders to engage their students in further training and learning,” says FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. 

The tournament will feature two age categories, U15 and U18, with an expected 200 teams from around the world participating. Each school team must consist of 4 to 7 full-time students from the same school.

The winners and medalists will be rewarded with exclusive team training sessions with world-famous grandmasters, chessboards signed by the GMs, subscriptions for the World Chess Masterclasses program, and FIDE Online Arena premium membership packages.

The tournament will be held online on the FIDE Online Arena, with the final stage broadcast live on World Chess and FIDE’s YouTube channels.

The program of the FIDE – ISF World School Championship Online Chess Cup 2023:

March 18 2023: Qualification tournament 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 – Teams 
March 19 2023: Qualification tournament 2005, 2006 and 2007 – Teams 
March 25 2023: Final tournament 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 – Teams 
March 26 2023: Final tournament 2005, 2006 and 2007 – Teams

The tournament registration will begin on February 06 and be open until March 11, 2023

The Championship will be played according to the Swiss System in 9 rounds, with time control 1h 30 min + 30 sec increment for the whole the game. If, in any age group, there are 11 to 15 participants only 7 rounds will be played. If in any age group there are 10 or fewer participants a round-robin tournament will be played. The schedule of the Championship can be seen below:

Travel connections (reachable by air and land travel). “Mother Theresa” Tirana International Airport (TIA) is 45 minutes (40 km) from the official hotel. Organisers will provide Transfer Tirana- Airport and return for all participants on the arrival day (12th May 2023) and the departure day (22nd May 2023). Transportation from the organizers in other dates are possible upon request with an extra charge.

Titles and Prizes:
> Award of Trophies and Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded to the players taking the first three places in each age category.
> Special prizes will be awarded to the players taking the first six places in each age category.
> Award of Trophies and medals to the best 3 teams-federations of the Championship. For the team standings, the best 6 individual results (points) per federation in all categories will be calculated.
> The 1st winner of each European School Championship category shall have the personal right to participate as an invited player in the World School Championship of the corresponding or of a higher age category if the relevant stipulation of the FIDE Tournament Regulation is met. This privilege may be exercised exclusively in the subsequent year following the qualification.
> All players will receive Certificates of Participation.

The best three ranked players in each group will be awarded medals. The Winners of respective groups will become the European U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18 open and girls Champions. The best ranked six players of each group will be awarded medals and diplomas. The official venue of the event will be *****Pine Beach Hotel Convention Center, which as also the official hotel of the Championship altogether with *****Papillon Ayscha Hotel.

The ECU President, Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili, addressed the participants and the organizers of the event in a welcoming letter published in the info bulletin of the Championship.

Uzbekistan-1 claimed silver medals. Led by IM Mukhiddin Madaminov, they won 7 matches, including important victories over India and Kazakhstan, and made one draw with eventual bronze-medalists Azerbaijan-1. Board 2 of the Uzbekistan team, FM Khumoyun Begmuratov, scored an impressive 8 out of 9. 

Azerbaijan-1 lost two matches and thus could only settle for third place. Apart from losing to Turkey-Red (like any other team), the host nation’s teenagers were also defeated by Kazakhstan. All team members showed balanced performance, while Narmin Abdinova (1810, board 6) stood out with 7 out of 8 – the best performance on board 6.

Initially among top-3 rated teams, Iran and India did not have the best event, finishing 6th and 5th, respectively. Nevertheless, the leader of the Indian team, IM Pranav V, showed the best performance on board 1, with a performance rating of 2615. Iran’s board 4, FM Sina Movahed, also won his board’s competition, but this was not enough for the overall team’s success. Kazakhstan, which narrowly missed the podium, can boast of the best Board 5 performance accomplished by CM Sauat Nurgaliyev.  

Final standings: