From February 16–27, 2025, Prague hosted the World Senior Team Chess Championship. After over ten days and nine exciting rounds, champions emerged in each category.
50+ category
Top-seeded USA (GM Ehlvest, GM Kaidanov, GM Shabalov, GM Novikov and IM Rachels) secured first place in the 50+ competition, finishing with 15/18 match points after defeating the German squad Confluentia in the final round.
Team Italy (GM David, GM Godena, IM Bellini, IM Bellia and IM D’Amore) also won their last match, against Hungary, equalling the USA’s score. However, the Italians had to settle for silver due to inferior tiebreaks (game points).
Kazakhstan (GM Kazhgaleyev, GM Kotsur, GM Temirbayev, IM Tikzhanov and IM Min), who led the event after eight rounds, faced a tough last-round pairing against England 1. After tense battles on all four boards, the match ended in a draw, leaving Kazakhstan with bronze, while England 1 finished in fourth place.
Team USA facing Confluentia from Germany in the final round
Several players had a truly amazing event and delivered outstanding performances. GM Michael Adams scored 6½/8 on the top board for England, only losing to GM Lubomir Ftacnik in round seven, earning him the gold medal for board one.
GM Pavel Kotsur (Kazakhstan) grabbed gold on board two, while GM Alexander Shabalov (USA) claimed gold on board three. GM Mark Hebden (England) dominated board four. IM Carlo D’Amore greatly contributed to Italy’s success, winning the reserve board medal.
Final standings – 50+ category
| Rk. | SNo | Team | Games | + | = | – | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | USA | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 24 | 0 | 175 | 191,5 | |
| 2 | 4 | Italy | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 23 | 0 | 175 | 193 | |
| 3 | 5 | Kazakhstan | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 24 | 0 | 174 | 190 | |
| 4 | 2 | England 1 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 24,5 | 0 | 176 | 193 | |
| 5 | 16 | England 2 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 24 | 0 | 147,5 | 160 | |
| 6 | 6 | Slovakia | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 22 | 0 | 174 | 190,5 | |
| 7 | 8 | Confluentia | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 22 | 0 | 162,5 | 178 | |
| 8 | 9 | Hungary | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 20,5 | 2 | 164 | 180 | |
| 9 | 18 | Canada | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 20,5 | 0 | 159 | 175 | |
| 10 | 14 | ŠK Moravská Slavia | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 20 | 0 | 167,5 | 184 | |
| 11 | 3 | Iceland | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 21,5 | 0 | 176,5 | 192 | |
| 12 | 7 | Czech Republic | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 21,5 | 0 | 155,5 | 172 | |
| 13 | 10 | Sweden | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 20 | 0 | 157,5 | 174 | |
| 14 | 19 | Scotland 2 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 20 | 0 | 154 | 168,5 | |
| 15 | 15 | Denmark | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 19 | 0 | 158,5 | 174,5 |
…54 teams
All available games
Download all available games in PGN format from: https://liveserver.chessbase.com:6009/pgn/FIDE-WSTC-Open-50-2025/0/0/.pgn
The legendary Michael Adams
