The 16th Serbian Championship, played in the open and women's sections, ended on Tuesday, December 14, in Baja Bašta. Both competitions were 10-player round-robin tournaments with classical time control.

In the open competition, the reigning champion GM Velimir Ivić scored an impressive 7.5/9 and defended his title. This success came primarily thanks to the eighth-round victory over the top-rated participant and his main competitor GM Aleksandar Indjić, who finished a half-point behind and took silver.

GM Aleksandar Kovačević made a great effort at the finish winning three straight games (including two with the black pieces) earned bronze.

Finals standings:

Despite losing her first-round game in the women's championship, WGM Irina Chelushkina scored 7 points in the next eight rounds and finished clear first. Interestingly, it is Irina's fifth country in which she won a national championship. In her long and brilliant chess career, she was the champion of the USSR, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro and now Serbia.

WIM Marina Gajčin lost the direct encounter to the champion but delivered an overall excellent performance and took silver with 6.5 points.

WGM Marija Manakova and the last-year champion WGM Jovana Erić tied for third place on 5 points, with the former claiming bronze thanks to a better Sonneborn-Berger.

Final standings:

Dejan Timotijević presented the cups to the winners on behalf of the municipality of Bajina Bašta and the Sports Association of the municipality of Bajina Bašta.

IA Rade Goljović and the deputy head judge, IA Lena Miadinović officiated the championship; IA Saša Jevtić was the tournament director.

Photo: Chess Federation of Serbia

Official website: serbiachess.org/