2026 European Club Cup: Tournament Results in Budva

Gold on Tiebreaks: European Club Cup Winners Crowned in Budva

Winning the final match does not always mean winning the tournament. Sometimes, once the games are over, teams must turn their attention to the neighbouring boards and compare tiebreak scores. That was how the European Club Cup concluded in Budva, Montenegro: in both the Open and Women’s competitions, the top two teams finished level on match points.

Turkey’s Bayegan Pendik Sports Chess Club won the Open competition, while Monaco’s Cercle d’Échecs de Monte-Carlo successfully defended the Women’s title. The final games were played on October 23, 2026.

A Record-Breaking Tournament on the Adriatic Coast

Budva hosted the 41st European Club Cup and the 30th European Women’s Club Cup simultaneously. Both competitions were played over seven rounds using the Swiss system to determine the continent’s strongest club teams.

The event attracted 130 teams: 108 in the Open section and 22 in the Women’s section. That set a new participation record, surpassing the 122 teams that competed in Rhodes a year earlier. Play took place at the Slovenska Plaza complex from October 17 to 23.

The club format brings a particular kind of tension. A player’s result cannot be separated from what is happening on their teammates’ boards: a draw may secure a team victory, while a single defeat can undo the efforts of the entire lineup.

Giri and Tabatabaei Deliver the Decisive Win for Bayegan Pendik

Heading into the final round of the Open competition, Bayegan Pendik, Romania’s SuperChess and Czech club Novy Bor shared the lead. The Turkish and Romanian teams were paired against each other.

Bayegan Pendik won the match 3½–2½. Anish Giri defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov, while Amin Tabatabaei beat Haik Martirosyan. SuperChess struck back through Jorden van Foreest, who defeated Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş. The remaining three games ended in draws.

On the neighbouring table, Novy Bor defeated Montenegro’s Elektroprivreda 4½–1½, with wins from Nihal Sarin, Pentala Harikrishna and David Navara.

Both title contenders finished on 13 match points, but Bayegan Pendik took gold on superior tiebreaks.

Israel’s Rishon LeZion A claimed bronze, finishing one match point behind the leaders.

Monte-Carlo Retain Their Title

The Women’s competition also had three joint leaders before the final round: Cercle d’Échecs de Monte-Carlo, Luxembourg’s CE Gambit Bonnevoie and Azerbaijan’s Odlar Yurdu.

The Monaco club finished with a commanding 4–0 victory over Georgia’s David Jojua Chess Club. Gambit Bonnevoie defeated Serbia’s Crvena Zvezda 2½–1½ to reach 12 match points as well. However, the tiebreaks kept the title in Monte-Carlo.

For Odlar Yurdu, the final round brought a painful exit from the medal places. A ½–3½ defeat to Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica allowed the Serbian club to draw level with them on match points and move ahead on tiebreaks.

Fourth Place Opens Another Door

For SuperChess, defeat in the decisive match meant finishing fourth. Yet the team still secured something valuable for the future: a place in the inaugural European Super League.

Six clubs finished level on 11 match points in the race for fourth place. The Romanian team edged ahead of its rivals on tiebreaks.

A Cup Decided Over the Entire Journey

The finish in Budva was a reminder of why team chess cannot be judged by a single spectacular victory. Giri and Tabatabaei decided their club’s final match, but the medals depended on results accumulated throughout the tournament.

The final round gave the winners the points they needed. Their results across the earlier rounds determined who took home the gold. That is why a club’s triumph always has more contributors than the results of the decisive games alone might suggest.