The Cyprus national chess team won bronze at the 9th European Small Countries Team Championship. The tournament was held from 15 to 22 November at the Sun Hall Hotel in Larnaca. The Faroe Islands team won gold, while Andorra took silver. The blitz tournament ended in triumph for the Cypriot chess school. First place went to 17-year-old candidate master Rafail Antoniou, while 26-year-old FIDE master Alexandros Isaakidis took second place.

Andrey Avsitidiysky

The European Small Countries Championships are held every two years. Chess players from Andorra, Malta, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Cyprus, San Marino, the islands of Guernsey and Jersey, and the Faroe Islands take part.

NEW NORM

‘For us, third place in the team championship is a historic result. This is the first time Cyprus has made it to the podium, and I am truly proud of the whole team. This is no accident; behind the bronze medals lie hours of hard work and complete dedication’, said team captain and 2025 Cyprus champion Alexandros Isaakidis.

‘I would like to highlight our team – young, ambitious players who are afraid of no one and nothing. This was evident from the first round, when we drew with Luxembourg, and in the second round, when we defeated Andorra – both teams are traditionally considered favourites. We realised that we can compete with anyone’.

According to three-time Cyprus championship bronze medallist Rafail Antoniou, after two rounds, the team members had high ambitions and sincerely believed that they could fight for first place:

‘The key moment was the match against Andorra, who won gold at the previous team championship. We managed to beat them for the first time. I came out of the opening with a position, which I didn’t really like, but I was patient, waited for my chance in the endgame and eventually managed to turn the match around’.

After five (of nine) rounds, the Cyprus team was in first place. The decisive match was against the Faroe Islands, which our team lost. This defeat was the only one for the Cyprus team in the entire tournament. The dream of gold melted away, but the fight for a place in the top three continued.

‘The most memorable moment for me was the draw in the last round with Grandmaster Amir Bagheri from Monaco. Thanks to this draw, as well as the stunning victory of my friend Alexandros Isaakidis over Grandmaster Igor Efimov, we secured third place’, said seven-time Cyprus champion Konstantinos Michaelides.

Igor Efimov (Monaco) — Alexandros Isaakidis (Cyprus)

17… Ne5

18. Ne4 Rd3

19. Qe2 f5

20. Bf4 fxe4

21. Bxe5 Qg5+

22. f4 exf3+

0:1

‘Overall, the tournament was exciting, dynamic and very emotional. Now we want only one thing – for such results to become the norm for Cyprus, rather than the exception’, summarised team captain Alexandros Isaakidis.

‘SECRET SAUCE’    

All members of the Cyprus national team noted the great atmosphere within the team. Rafail Antoniou emphasised that every player was in excellent form, but the main key to success was that everyone put the interests of the team first. According to Konstantinos Michaelides, ‘we were like a family, we communicated easily and understood each other’.   

‘The secret sauce was ready from day one – the atmosphere in the team was fantastic. We spent a lot of time together. I think sometimes we laughed more than we counted options – and it worked! This unity gave us a huge boost before each round’, Alexandros Isaakidis shared the secret of their success.

THE STRENGTH OF CYPRUS IN BLITZ

On the only day off, a blitz tournament was held with 34 representatives from nine chess federations. Rafail Antoniou and Alexandros Isaakidis shared first and second place. All additional indicators were equal. In an additional match of four games, which Alexander called ‘a real chess thriller’, Rafail Antoniou prevailed.

It was nice to show Cyprus’ strength in blitz.

Rafail ANTONIOU

MORE THAN JUST A GAME

According to Alexandros Isaakidis, the organisers did an excellent job – the tournament was held at a high level, and this was noted by players from all teams. The comfortable conditions helped each participant to show their best game.

The championship was held with the financial support of the Cyprus Chess Federation’s general partner, Freedom24. ‘For Freedom24, chess is more than just a game. It develops strategic thinking, resilience, and respect – values that we strive to embody in our daily work. As a company headquartered in Limassol, we are proud to support the local chess community, from amateur initiatives to the most prestigious international tournaments, such as the 9th European Team Chess Championship for Small Nations’, said Bulat Latypov, Сhief Communications Officer at Freedom24.

Photo by Sotos Con

Cyprus national chess team: Alexandros Isaakidis, Rafail Antoniou, Konstantinos Michaelides, Konstantinos Konstantinidis, Samuel Johannes Constantinou