Mikhail Gurevich gave a master class. He could have played in the +65 tournament, but preferred to go on holiday while his partner Masha Klinova won the +50 world championship. 

Mikhail Gurevich (left)

Rainer Knaak is the +65 world champion. His last opponent at the World Championship on the Atlantic island of Porto Santo, Christian Maier from South Baden, offered him a draw after a few moves, which secured Knaak the title. His victories against his direct competitors Alexander Mikhalevsky from Israel (who came second), Lubo Ftacnik from Slovakia (who came third) and Zurab Sturua from Georgia were decisive. Knaak had already shown that he was in good form when he came third in the European Senior Championship in October. 

Alex Shabalov, the 50+ world champion, showed how it's done. In the morning, the grandmaster, who emigrated from Latvia to the USA over thirty years ago, prepared himself on the beach. Occasionally he went into the Atlantic. At 23 degrees it was pleasant to swim behind the surf. In the afternoon, he reliably scored points in the tournament hall. He was only ever in danger of losing once, in the second round against Rudi Meessen. When Shabalov wanted to avoid a draw, his Belgian opponent forced a draw in a different way though he could have even gained an advantage. But against his fellow GMs Shabalov scored four wins and four draws. In the final round, he impressively outplayed Greg Kaidanov with Black. This allowed Shabalov to overtake Michal Krasenkow, who had been in the lead until then. 

Alonso Zapata was once the number one in Latin America. The Colombian has been living in Atlanta for a long time as a trainer. 

A few weeks after winning the European Women's 65+ Championship in October, Brigitte Burchardt from Berlin added the World Women's 65+ title to her collection. She played all her games energetically and aggressively. Among others, she left Nona Gaprindashvili, the only participant with a GM title, behind.

Others were more peaceful. Masha Klinova, the 50+ World Champion and partner of Mikhail Gurevich, saved her strength with a series of quick draws but in the final round she defeated Bulgarian-born Frenchwoman Silvia Alexieva, better known by the surname of her former husband Collas, but who has since reverted to her birth name. 

The way to the sea

The Portuguese Chess Federation, which organised the event, would have liked Kevin Spraggett to have taken part. The only Canadian who has made it to the World Championship Candidates has been living in Portugal for 35 years. Exactly half his life. He turned 70 on 10 November. But Spraggett spent that day at his favourite tournament, the Open in Figueira da Foz, which is part of the Portugal Chess Tour and clashed with the World Senior Championships.

The organisation of the World Championship not only caused schedule clashes. There were no more direct flights from Lisbon this late in the year. So a charter flight had to be organised, the cost of which was not fully covered by the fees. There would have been direct flights from Denmark, but none of the chess players came with them.

Porto Santo's best snorkelling cove 

The late organisation of the European Championships in October also reduced the number of participants to just over 200. But it should not to be the last international competition: an international open senior championship is planned for Portugal from 2025. And the 2026 European Rapid and Blitz Championships have been awarded to Lisbon. These are traditionally held in December, when hotel prices, which have skyrocketed in recent years, are still affordable.

Shabalov, Knaak, Klinova and Burchardt crowned on the Golden Island...