Club 64 fifth at the 2014 Master finals
The eagerly awaited 2014 Master finals, held in Condino (TN) from 30/4 to 4/5, ended on Sunday 4 May. The Master finals are the pinnacle of the Italian Team Championship and certainly represent the highest competitive moment on the national scene. In recent years the event has taken on considerable international interest and considerably raised its technical level, featuring numerous Grandmasters of the highest calibre. Club 64 arrived as a leading contender, fielding the strong GMs Viktor Erdos, Sabino Brunello and Axel Rombaldoni, IM Denis Rombaldoni and FM Michelangelo Scalcione. Putting together such a competitive team was possible thanks to the commitment of the sponsors who believed in the project: WorldTradingLab, galleria Astuni, f.lli Benincasa, Alessandro Garbin and the restaurant Italo. Only the powerhouse Padova (which fielded 3 of the top 10 players in the world!) had a higher average Elo than Modena. After an excellent start (a 3.5-0.5 win against the dangerous Palermo), unfortunately WorldTradingLab Club 64's progress was up and down. In the second round came an unexpected defeat against Latina (1-3), promptly put behind with 2 clear wins against dangerous teams such as Milanese (3-1 win in the 4th round) and Partenopea (3.5-0.5 win in the fifth round). Two closing wins would have secured second place in the final standings, the great goal set beforehand. The precarious form and low output of some members of the team did not allow this hoped-for milestone to be reached, and in the last two rounds came a painful defeat against Nereto (1-3 in the 6th round) and an unexpected draw against Arrocco Roma (2-2 in the last round). Fifth place overall, despite 16 very combative teams at the start and an ever-higher technical level, is certainly not a satisfactory result in relation to expectations beforehand. The law of sport teaches that one must not be discouraged and the hope is certainly to find new energy and the renewed backing of all those who sponsored and believed in the project, to allow Club 64 to try again in 2015.
Photos: CIS Master series 2014
128 photos