IM Vangelis Patrelakis and WFM Maria Tsakona emerged as the winners of the Panhellenic Individual Championship in the open and women’s categories, respectively, each claiming their maiden national title.
The 74th Panhellenic Championship and the 47th Panhellenic Women’s Championship were held concurrently in Aigio, Western Greece, from December 3 to 11. Both events followed a 10-player round-robin format under classical time controls.
The 74th Panhellenic Championship was one of the most exciting in recent years, marked by an exceptionally close contest. Notably, no player finished the tournament unbeaten, with three participants—GMs Vasilios Kotronias, defending champion Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis, along with IM Vangelis Patrelakis—entering the final round tied for first place on 5/9 points.
Kotronias and Kourkoulos-Arditis drew their final games, while the 21-year-old Patrelakis secured a crucial victory over Konstantinos Tsarsitalidis to clinch the title.
Kotronias and Kourkoulos-Arditis shared second place with 5.5/9 points, with Kotronias taking silver on the basis of a superior Sonneborn–Berger score (the third tiebreaker).
In the 47th Panhellenic Women’s Championship, 19-year-old WFM Maria Tsakona dominated the field, securing the title with a round to spare and an impressive score of 7.5/9.
Andrianna Anastasopoulou finished two points behind the champion to earn silver, while last year’s winner, WFM Georgia Grapsa, completed the podium with 5/9 points, reaffirming her consistent presence among Greece’s top female players.
“This year’s Championship was a true celebration of Greek chess—high-stakes, intensely competitive, with new talents dynamically vying for their place among the country’s top players. ESO will continue to support the young generation and take initiatives to elevate chess across Greece,” said Professor Stathis Evstathopoulos, President of the Greek Chess Federation, at the closing ceremony.
Photos: Greek Chess Federation