The European Championship kicked off in Vrnjacka Banja

The European Individual Chess Championship (EICC) started on Friday in the Serbian town of Vrnjačka Banja. Since the top half of the ratings list was paired against the lower half for the opening round, there were predominantly wins by the favourites, although there were also some exceptions to this ‘rule’. The symbolic first move in the game between Vuk Damjanovic and Gabriel Sargissian, the top seed, was made by ECU President Zurab Azmaiparashvili and Dragan Lazic, President of the Serbian Chess Federation. | Photos: European Chess Union