Small Nations Chess Championships
Jersey against Europe's other small chess federations — and once, Jersey as host.
The European Small Nations Championships bring together federations too small to compete at the top of European team chess, but with plenty of fight in them all the same. Jersey has been a regular competitor for years — and once took a turn as host.
Small Nations 2025 — Cyprus
As one of the 10 Federations that are members of the European Small Nations (FIDE Zone 1.10), Jersey participated in the European Small Nations in Cyprus. The event ran from Saturday 23rd November in a 9-round “all play all” competition. The team: K Belzo, M Kolin, G Mooney, M Perchard and P Wojciechowski.
Jersey finished 8th with a win against Malta and draws with Guernsey and San Marino. Full table below.
| Pos | Team | Faroe Is. | Andorra | Cyprus | Luxembourg | Monaco | Liechtenstein | Malta | Jersey | Guernsey | San Marino | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faroe Islands | — | 1.5 | 3 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 | 16 |
| 2 | Andorra | 2.5 | — | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 4 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 | 16 |
| 3 | Cyprus | 1 | 2.5 | — | 2 | 2.5 | 3 | 2.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 4 | 15 |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2 | — | 2.5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3.5 | 13 |
| 5 | Monaco | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | 2 | 2.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 9 |
| 6 | Liechtenstein | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 9 |
| 7 | Malta | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | 1.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4 |
| 8 | Jersey | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 | 2.5 | — | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 9 | Guernsey | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 2 | — | 2.5 | 3 |
| 10 | San Marino | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 2 | 1.5 | — | 1 |
Small Nations 2023
"A proud moment for Jersey" — eighth place again, this time with wins against Cyprus and San Marino and a draw against Guernsey. Andorra won the tournament outright, with the Faroe Islands, Luxembourg and Malta rounding out the top four.
2023 Podium
| 1st | Andorra |
| 2nd | Faroe Islands |
| 3rd | Luxembourg |
| 4th | Malta |
| 8th | Jersey |
The 8th European Small Nations Tournament
Jersey hosted the field itself from 28 October to 5 November at the Pomme D'Or Hotel, St Helier — teams of four players plus a reserve, competing in a nine-round all-play-all format.
Timetable
| Saturday 28 October | Arrival & opening ceremony |
| Sunday 29 October | Round 1 |
| Monday 30 October | Rounds 2 & 3 |
| Tuesday 31 October | Round 4 |
| Wednesday 1 November | Rounds 5 & 6 |
| Thursday 2 November | Round 7 |
| Friday 3 November | Round 8 |
| Saturday 4 November | Round 9, followed by Closing Ceremony |
Teams
Board 1–4 plus a reserve, per nation.
| Nation | Board 1 | Board 2 | Board 3 | Board 4 | Reserve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jersey | Paul Carpenter | Jem Gurner | Jon Hawes (FM) | Garry Forbes (CM) | Paul Wojciechowski (CCM) |
| Andorra | Oscar De La Riva (GM) | Felipe Porras (MF) | Josep Maria Ribera (CM) | Serni Ribera (CM) | — |
| Cyprus | Michaelides Konstantinos (FM) | Isaakidis Alexandros | Antoniou Rafail | Constantinou Samuel | Klerides Paris (FM) |
| Faroe Islands | Høgni Egistoft Nielsen (FM) | Martin Poulsen (FM) | John Rødgaard (IM) | Luitjen Akselsson | Apol Jón í Horni Nielsen |
| Guernsey | Peter Kirby | Fred Hamperl | Arita Strade | Gerda Nevska | Jamie Morgan |
| Liechtenstein | Fabian Ferster | Markus Krieger | Willy Iclicki | Renato Frick | Andrew Heron |
| Luxembourg | Michael Wiedenkeller | Elvira Berend | Fred Berend | Pierre Gengler | Nicolas Bourg |
| Malta | David Cilia Vincenti (CM) | Jake Darmanin (CM) | Robert Novak | Colin Pace (CM) | Robert Zerafa (CM) |
| Monaco | Amir Bagheri (GM) | Tatiana Dornbusch (WGM) | Ribbegren Karl | Patrick Van Hoolandt (FM) | Philippe Dornbusch |
| San Marino | Ezio Righi | Danilo Volpinari | Giancarlo Berardi | Alessandro Vivoli | Mirko Leardini |