The Montenegrin Chess Championship will be held from tomorrow until May 8th in Herceg Novi.
The following will be played simultaneously: Premier, First, Second, Women's and Pioneer Leagues, and the competitions will bring together over 400 registered chess players.
The competition in the top-tier, the Premier League, is attracting the most attention. Elektroprivreda from Nikšić will try to defend its title, and its main competitors will be Budućnost from Podgorica and Crnogorac from Cetinje.
Elektroprivreda will be led by a representative grandmaster trio: Denis Kadrić, Luka Drašković and Nikita Petrov, while Budućnost enters with the addition of grandmasters Aleksandar Predke and Dragiša Blagojević. The new force in the Montenegrin team is grandmaster Artem Ilyin and intermaster Aleksandar Tomić.
In the first round, Budućnost and Crnogorac will play a derby match, while their duels with Elektroprivreda are scheduled for the eighth and ninth rounds, which guarantees that the league will be interesting until the last move.
Mimoza from Tivat could also join the fight for a medal, while the other clubs are fighting for survival and mid-table. Other teams that will be participating are: Dame from Budva, Herceg Novi, Nikšić, Omladinac-Budućnost, Rumija from Bar and Prosvjeta from Podgorica.
The First League will also be interesting, as two visas will be sought for the company of the best. Nine clubs will participate, considering that the club 7. Oktobar canceled its participation. Č
One of the main favorites is the team Zora from Podgorica, led by international masters Kiril Klukin and four-time champion of Montenegro, Predrag Nikač. Last year's members of the team, Mladost from Nikšić and Rudar from Pljevlja, also want to return to the elite. It seems that the teams are evenly matched and that nuances will decide.
The Second League will have nine clubs this year, and the fight to enter the First League will be very interesting because the clubs are of equal quality, and ŠK Danilovgrad Talj will also make its first appearance after the resumption of operations. The two most successful clubs from the Second League will enter the First League.
This year's women's league features four teams, and the fight for the gold medal will be between Elektroprivreda from Nikšić and Herceg Novi. A very strong Herceg Novi, led by European vice-champion Irina Bulmaga, will try to end Elektroprivreda's streak in the women's competition.
The fight for the bronze medal will be between Podgorica's Buducnost and the University team, and the decision will be made in the last round when Elektroprivreda and Herceg Novi, or Buducnost and University, will meet.
The Pioneer League has 15 clubs, and Podgorica's Dijagonale and Budućnost, Bar's Rumija and Nikšić's Mladost will each compete with two teams, and the joint chess school of Elektroprivreda and Nikšić will also have two teams.
In addition to them, the teams Dame from Budva, Herceg Novi, 7. Oktobar from Podgorica, Mornar and Šavnik will also perform. The main contenders for the title of the best first team are expected to be Dijagonala, Budućnost and Rumija, as well as the team from Elektroprivreda.
The organizer of the competition is the Chess Federation of Montenegro, under the auspices of the Ministry of Sports and Youth and the Municipality of Herceg Novi, while the competition partner is the Tourist Organization of Herceg Novi.
Chess fans can follow all the events from the league competitions, as the SCG has provided broadcast of all games from the Premier and First Leagues, as well as the Women's League, while the most interesting matches from the Second League will also be broadcast.
Bonus video:
