The 2025 Serbian Chess Championship has concluded with thrilling results.GM Ivan Ivanisevic claimed his fifth national title, and IM Sofia Pogorelskikh earned her first in the women’s division. The event organized by the Serbian Chess Association, which was held from May 31 to June 6.
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| Photo : Šahovski Savez Srbije |
Ivanisevic Secures Fifth National Title
Held in Pirot, the open tournament saw second seed Ivanisevic deliver a confident performance. He pulled ahead with three consecutive wins in rounds 5 to 7, maintaining the lead into the final round.
Despite a final-round draw against GM Misa Pap, Ivanisevic finished with 6.5/9. GM Suat Atalik, who also finished on 6.5 points, fell short in tiebreaks (Koya system), giving Ivanisevic the edge. Notably, Ivanisevic remained unbeaten throughout the event.
Top seed GM Robert Marcus completed the podium, taking third place.
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| Photo : Šahovski Savez Srbije |
Pogorelskikh Wins Fiercely Contested Women’s Title
In Palic, the women’s event was tightly fought. Despite suffering two losses, IM Sofia Pogorelskikh bounced back with five victories, finishing with a clear lead at the top. She edged out 2024 champion WGM Irina Chelushkina and 2023 winner WGM Marina Gajcin by half a point. Both tied for second place, with Chelushkina earning silver on tiebreaks and Gajcin taking bronze.
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| Photo : Šahovski Savez Srbije |
A Rich Championship History
The Serbian Chess Championship traces its roots back to 1935, originally as the Yugoslav Chess Championship. Over the decades, the tournament evolved through the geopolitical changes of the region transitioning to the Serbia and Montenegro Championship until 2006, and since then held as the Serbian Chess Championship.