The Bulgarian women’s national chess team became the European champion for the first time in history.
At the Old Continent Championship in Budva (Montenegro), Antoineta Stefanova, Nurgyul Salimova, Victoria Radeva, Gergana Peycheva and Beloslava Krasteva finished with 16 match points after 7 wins, 2 draws and no losses.
Thus, they were one point ahead of the second-placed Azerbaijan.
In the last 9th round, the Bulgarian women achieved a great victory with 2.5:1.5 points against the number 1 seeded in the scheme and vice-champion from the last Chess Olympiad team of Georgia.
Victories for Bulgaria were achieved by Antoineta Stefanova on the first board and Gergana Peycheva on the third, with Peycheva’s success securing the title and coming from a position in which the Bulgarian was very close to losing.
Second for the World Cup of Chess, Nurgyul Salimova drew on the second board with Georgian Nino Batsiashvili in the European Team Championship.
After her on the first board, former world champion Antoineta Stefanova overcame Bela Hotenashvili, but, unfortunately, Beloslava Krasteva from Salome Melia.
Gergana Peycheva managed to break Lela Javakhishvili after nearly 6 hours of play and made her surrender on the 83rd move to triumph over Bulgaria.
