European Individual Chess Championship

The European Individual Chess Championship is a chess tournament organized by the European Chess Union. It was established in 2000 and has since then taken place on a yearly basis.Apart from determining the European Champion, another object of this tournament is to determine a number of players who qualify for the FIDE world championship.

History

A tournament purporting to be the first European Championship ("Europameisterschaft") was held in Munich, 14–26 September 1942, organised by Ehrhardt Post, a President of Nazi "Grossdeutscher Schachbund". But given that players from Germany's enemies (Soviet Union, Great Britain and Poland) were unable to participate (because of World War II), and Jewish players barred (because of Nazi policy), this tournament was simply a manifestation of Nazi propaganda and has never received any form of official recognition as a championship. Reuben Fine's comment in "Chess Marches On" (1945), page 136: "Alekhine has participated in a number of European shindigs, including one so-called 'European Championship' ....his competitors were at best second-rate second-raters." The last opinion is curious as Alekhine (World Champion), Keres (pretendent for the title), Bogoljubow (former World Champion challenger), Stoltz (winner, ahead of Alekhine, at Munich 1941), and Junge (co-winner, with Alekhine, at Prague 1942) made Munich 1942 the world's strongest tournament in 1942. The next-strongest tournaments were Salzburg 1942, New York (US Championship) 1942, Mar del Plata 1942, Prague (Duras Memorial) 1942, and Moscow (Championship) 1942. [ [http://db.chessmetrics.com/CM2/Summary.asp?Params=194201S01SS3S000000000000111000000000000010100#StrongestTournamentAnchor Strongest Tournament between 1942 and 1943] at chessmetrics.com]

The line-up at Munich 1942 was as follows:

:

Overview of results (Women)

ee also

* European Senior Chess Championship
* European Junior Chess Championship
* European Youth Chess Championship

References

External links

For complete tables / results, refer to the "The Week in Chess"-website:
* 2000: [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic297.html#8 Men´s results] [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic292.html#7 Women´s results] [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic293.html#9 Women´s final match]
* 2001: [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic345.html#2 Men´s results] [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic339.html#15 Women´s results]
* 2002: [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic399.html#4 Men´s results] [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic396.html#4 Women´s results]
* 2003: [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic449.html#3 Men´s and Women´s results]
* 2004: [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic499.html#3 Men´s results] [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic491.html#5 Women´s results]
* 2005: [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic556.html#2 Men´s results] [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic555.html#5 Women´s results]
* 2006: [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic597.html#2 Men´s and Women´s results]
* 2007: [http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic650.html#5 Men's results]