Austria’s young chess team took three out of four points against top nations in the first two rounds at the European Championships in Budva: After a 2-2 draw against the number two seeded Romanians, they played against those led by top star Magnus Carlsen on Sunday Norwegians even won 2.5:1.5. The 24-year-old Viennese Valentin Dragnev sensationally managed a draw against Carlsen, who is taking part in a European Championship for the first time in eight years.
Carlsen was under pressure the entire game against Dragnev and had to accept a draw after 66 moves. The Carinthian Markus Ragger (who is also the national coach) and Dominik Horvath each got a draw before Felix Blohberger scored fully against Lars Oskar Hauge and secured the win. “Three points against two top 10 nations are a perfect start to this European Championship . Our young team, only veteran Ragger is over 30, gives hope for further surprises,” said ÖSB President Michael Stöttinger. The tournament, which is held every two years, is played according to the Swiss system. This means that you play nine games, but only against teams with the same points. Armenia was the next opponent on Monday afternoon, the European Championship runs until November 20th.
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