Israeli grandmaster Yahli Sokolovsky wins European Under-20 Chess Championship

Israeli chess has a new European champion. Grandmaster Yahli Sokolovsky, a 2006-born player from Kiryat Ono Chess Club, went undefeated through the European Under-20 Chess Championship held in Cetinje, Montenegro. He secured the title by winning his final three games, ultimately finishing with seven points from nine rounds.

Sokolovsky, who entered the tournament as the top seed with an international rating of 2541, faced strong competition from other leading young players across Europe. The tournament, organized by the European Chess Union and the Montenegro Chess Federation, featured nine rounds of classical chess played under a Swiss-system format.

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Yahli is one of the hottest names in the Israeli Chess Federation and will be one to watch in the coming years. This impressive victory demonstrates his tremendous talent and his place among the leading players of the next generation of Israeli chess.

His decisive run came in the final stretch. After an opening victory, Sokolovsky maintained consistency, culminating in wins against Anton Zlatkov of North Macedonia in the seventh round and Armenian grandmaster Emin Ohanyan in the eighth. Entering the final round, a victory was crucial, and he delivered by defeating Armenian international master Vah Sukiasyan, clinching the championship.

Sokolovsky's performance earned him a rating of 2584, exceeding his initial rating. Gil Boruchovsky, CEO of the Israeli Chess Federation, praised Sokolovsky as one of the "hottest names" in Israeli chess and a future player to watch. Dr. Zvika Barkai, chairman of the federation, called the victory an "outstanding achievement" and a continuation of Israeli chess successes on the international stage.

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This is an outstanding achievement and a direct continuation of the successes of Israeli chess on the international stage.