The opening rounds of the 2026 European Club Cup saw the top-seeded teams maintain their winning momentum in round two. Wei Yi and Arjun both extended their records to 2-0, while Richard Rapport also notched another victory for his team. The favorites continued to show their dominance across the boards, with most of the top-12 matches decided by comfortable margins.
Top seed Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club nearly stumbled when they chose to rest two of their players, and their strategy almost backfired. Amin Tabatabaei fell to Temur Kuybokarov in a wild tactical battle on the top board. However, Volodar Murzin salvaged the match result with a remarkable recovery, pulling off an incredible swindle from a lost position against Marko Ivanovic to secure a 5-1 victory for the team.
Wei Yi delivered a sparkling performance for Alkaloid, scoring an impressive win over Hilmir Freyr Heimisson that helped lead his team to a 6-0 shutout victory over Breidablik Chess Club. Wei's game featured a decisive fork in the endgame after his opponent made a critical error. Arjun also contributed powerfully on the top board for Alkaloid, which notably fielded both of its top players from the opening rounds.
Among the notable results, Jorden van Foreest guided defending champion SuperChess Romania to a clean sweep over KBSK Brugge. However, van Foreest acknowledged his narrow escape against Koen Leenhouts, crediting a late time-trouble blunder by his opponent. Another surprising upset saw Boris Gelfand, making his tournament debut, lose in an endgame to Nderim Saraci.
The Women's competition featured dramatic clashes with several upsets among the top seeds. Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo overcame fifth seed Odlar Yurdu with strong performances from Stavroula Tsolakidou and Koneru Humpy. Third seed SuperChess Romania escaped with a 2-2 draw against eighth seed Club Ajedrez Linares in an entertaining match filled with wild swings, including a 121-move game between Viviana Galvan and Deimante Daulyte-Cornette.
Round three begins Monday with matches expected to increase in intensity as stronger opponents face each other. The tournament continues through October 23 in Budva, Montenegro, with seven rounds total across both the Open and Women's sections.