Three Teams to Represent United States at FIDE World Team Senior Championship

The FIDE World Senior Team Championship is taking place July 1 through 12 in Krakow, Poland, and, this year, three teams will be making the trip. Read on to meet this year's teams and learn how to follow along with their games!

In the Open (age 50+), the team will consist of GM Vladimir Akopian, GM Jaan Ehlvest, GM Igor Novikov, GM Alexander Shabalov (Captain), and GM Melikset Khachiyan. This team looks to defend last year's title, although Akopian and Khachiyan are swapped in this year for GMs Alex Yermolinsky and Gregory Kaidanov. 

courtesy SLCC / Bryan Adams

Jaan Ehlvest cannot be faulted for his ambitious play against N. Macedonia (courtesy Mark Livshitz/FIDE)

courtesy SLCC / Bryan Adams

Shabalov rises, but is it too late to catch Khachiyan? (courtesy Crystal Fuller/SLCC)

courtesy Lennart Ootes/SLCC

But unlike previous years, this year a women's team will be competing in both the Women's (age 50+) and Women's (age 65+) sections. In the former, the team consists of WGM Anjelina Belakovskaia (Captain), WIM Beatriz Marinello, WFM Olga Sagalchik, WFM Natalya Tsodikova, and WFM Ivona Jezierska.

The 2023 U.S. Senior Women's Champion: WGM Anjelina Belakovskaia (courtesy Kimberly Doo)

Ivona Jezierska (courtesy of the subject)

In the age 65+ section, the team consists of WIM Shernaz Kennedy, Julia O'Neill, Elizabeth Carmel Shaughnessy, Amy C Nunn, and Polly P. Wright.

The new Berkeley Chess School building, and Elizabeth Shaughnessy for scale (courtesy Kimberly Doo)

Amy Nunn (courtesy of the subject)

Games begin on Tuesday, July 2 at 8:00 a.m. CDT, and continue with one round played a day except for a rest day on Monday, July 7. The final round, played on Thursday, July 11, begins five hours earlier. A full schedule is available here.