The German participants in the European Cup have been confirmed: the Bundesliga clubs Werder Bremen, Doppelbauer Kiel, SV Mülheim Nord, FC St. Pauli, as well as HSK Lister Turm, SV Erkenschwick and TSV Schönaich will compete for the highest trophy in European team chess from October 19 to 27 in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia.
The “European Chess Club Cup 2024” is the 39th edition of the traditional competition. The cup has been held since 1976, initially every three years and later every two years. It has taken place every year since 1992. Since 1996 there has been a parallel European Club Cup for women. Seven rounds of Swiss system are played on six boards or four boards for women.
The 2024 edition of the Women’s Cup was won by the Romanian team Superchess – with the Viernheim Bundesliga player Dinara Wagner in its ranks. There hasn’t been a German winner in the open cup for a long time. FC Bayern Munich last triumphed in 1992, and SG Solingen two years before that. The current defending champion is the Norwegian Offerspill Sjakklubb.
In all probability, no Bundesliga team will manage to win in 2024. In the (not yet fully complete) Participant list SV Werder Bremen is seeded twelfth. Vincent Keymer, on the other hand, who plays for Baden-Baden in the Bundesliga, could play for the title with his second-seeded Novy Bor Chess Club (Czech Republic).
