Bayegan Pendik Win the European Chess Club Cup 2026

Bayegan Pendik won the European Chess Club Cup 2026 in Budva on tiebreak, level on 13 match points with Novy Bor, with Rishon LeZion third.

Bayegan Pendik are the winners of the 41st European Chess Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro.

The Club Cup is a 7-round Swiss for teams of six players. Teams earn two match points for a win and one for a draw.

Bayegan Pendik won six matches and drew one, finishing with 13 match points. In the final round they beat SuperChess Romania 3.5-2.5 in a close match. Novy Bor Chess Club also finished on 13 match points after beating Elektroprivreda 4.5-1.5, so the title was decided on tiebreak, and Bayegan Pendik came out on top.

Rishon LeZion took third place with 12 match points after a 5-1 win in the last round.

Several players had excellent individual results. Alkaloid's GM Wei Yi, Bayegan Pendik's GM Richard Rapport and SuperChess Romania's GM Alexey Sarana and GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac each scored 6 points from 7 games.

There were also big games in the final round. GM Anish Giri beat GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and GM Jorden van Foreest won a 104-move game against GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus.

Team events show that chess is not always an individual sport. Every board counts, and a draw on one board can be just as important as a win on another. The best teams support each other and play for the team result.

Congratulations to Bayegan Pendik on winning the European Club Cup, and to Novy Bor and Rishon LeZion on their medals.