"The Dutch town of Arnhem replaced Groningen in the organization of the European Junior Championship after 25 years of uninterrupted celebration in the last mentioned city. The reason was a change of sponsor; the OHRA company, already strongly linked to chess, hosted the event this year. Regarding the sporting outcome, the only question centered on which of the two Soviet representatives would emerge victorious: Ivanchuk (champion of 1986/87) or Gelfand. Ivanchuk defeated Gelfand in the fifth round and took the lead in the standings, but he could not match the sensational pace of his compatriot, who equaled the tournament record (11.5 points) shared by Van der Wiel and Åkesson, a record he could have even beaten but was content with a draw in the final round to secure first place. The difference in play between the two representatives of the Soviet Union and the rest was overwhelming, despite the fact that Brenninkmejer (Hol) (17 years old) was a close third. Also promising were Langner (Chec), Lev (lsr), Hansen (Den), and Riemersma (Hol), who deserved to finish ahead of Gdanski and Wessman, who, due to the Swiss system, "snuck" into 4th and 5th place. Enrique Fernández had an unfortunate performance, and despite his spectacular start (3 out of 3), the two consecutive defeats against Gelfand and Pieniazek affected his playing morale, and he ultimately obtained a poor ranking of nineteenth (+5 =2 -6). The organization was satisfactory, although the playing room was quite far from the hotel where the players were staying." (Jaque, transl.)
Arnhem, the Netherlands, 19 December 1987 - 2 January 1988
Age Elo* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 Pts
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01 Gelfand 19 2510 +31 +24 +07 +19 -02 +11 +03 +15 +10 +06 +09 +08 =04 11½
02 Ivanchuk 18 2480 +05 +13 =10 +14 +01 +07 +15 =08 =09 +03 +24 =06 +16 11
03 Brenninkmeijer 18 2345 -23 +28 +12 +30 =24 +16 -01 =07 +08 -02 +11 +10 =06 8½
04 Gdanski 17 2400 =12 -06 +31 -16 +27 -08 -23 +25 +22 +15 +14 +09 =01 8
05 Wessman 18 2285 -02 +32 -14 +22 -09 +30 =06 -23 =12 +28 +16 +19 +08 8
06 Lev 19 2400 =16 +04 +11 -10 -15 =13 =05 +17 +23 -01 +07 =02 =03 7½
07 Hansen 19 2355 +28 +23 -01 +08 +10 -02 =11 =03 =19 -09 -06 +17 +14 7½
08 Langner 18 2315 -29 +22 +25 -07 +30 +04 +09 =02 -03 +24 +10 -01 -05 7½
09 Kosic 17 2385 +18 +17 -19 -11 +05 +24 -08 +20 =02 +07 -01 -04 =10 7
10 Riemersma 20 2345 +27 +25 =02 +06 -07 -15 +17 +11 -01 +13 -08 -03 =09 7
11 Pieniazek 19 2280 +14 +15 -06 +09 +19 -01 =07 -10 -24 +17 -03 =13 +21 7
12 Koch 17 2270 =04 =16 -03 =13 -21 =25 +27 =28 =05 +29 +15 -14 +20 7
13 Lutz 16 2295 +32 -02 -30 =12 +25 =06 =14 +21 =15 -10 =20 =11 +19 7
14 Horváth 19 2455 -11 +21 +05 -02 -17 +23 =13 =16 =20 +19 -04 +12 -07 6½
15 Norwood 19 2405 +21 -11 =16 +20 +06 +10 -02 -01 =13 -04 -12 =18 +27 6½
16 Benev 11 ---- =06 =12 =15 +04 +23 -03 -19 =14 =17 +20 -05 +24 -02 6½
17 Vandevoort 16 ---- +20 -09 +26 -24 +14 +19 -10 -06 =16 -11 +27 -07 +31 6½
18 Bern 20 2275 -09 -20 -22 -27 +31 -28 +26 +30 -25 +32 +29 =15 +24 6½
19 Fernández 20 2335 +22 +29 +09 -01 -11 -17 +16 =24 =07 -14 +23 -05 -13 6
20 Thórhallsson 18 2345 -17 +18 =23 -15 +32 +21 =24 -09 =14 -16 =13 +26 -12 6
21 Bellini 18 2275 -15 -14 =27 +29 +12 -20 +22 -13 =28 -26 +31 +23 -11 6
22 MacKay 17 ---- -19 -08 +18 -05 =28 +32 -21 +27 -04 =31 -26 +30 +29 6
23 Calinescu 19 2240 +03 -07 =20 +26 -16 -14 +04 +05 -06 =25 -19 -21 =32 5½
24 Damaso 19 ---- +30 -01 +29 +17 =03 -09 =20 =19 +11 -08 -02 -16 -18 5½
25 Manninen 17 ---- +26 -10 -08 =32 -13 =12 +29 -04 +18 =23 -28 -31 +30 5½
26 Casagrande 19 2325 -25 +27 -17 -23 -29 =31 -18 +32 -30 +21 +22 -20 +28 5½
27 Wians 19 2245 -10 -26 =21 +18 -04 +29 -12 -22 +31 +30 -17 +32 -15 5½
28 Spycher 19 2245 -07 -03 -32 =31 =22 +18 +30 =12 =21 -05 +25 -29 -26 5
29 Kourtesis 19 ---- +08 -19 -24 -21 +26 -27 -25 +31 +32 -12 -18 +28 -22 5
30 Sullivan ---- -24 +31 +13 -03 -08 -05 -28 -18 +26 -27 =32 -22 -25 3½
31 McMahon 19 ---- -01 -30 -04 =28 -18 =26 =32 -29 -27 =22 -21 +25 -17 3
32 Meric 20 ---- -13 -05 +28 =25 -20 -22 =31 -26 -29 -18 =30 -27 =23 3
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This was the 17th European Junior Championship. Swiss, 13 rounds in 15 days, starting on Saturday 19 December. Rest days 25 December & 1 January. Gelfand became European Junior Champion ahead of Ivanchuk (2nd) and Brenninkmeijer (3rd).Sources
OlimpBase (https://web.archive.org/web/2023032...)
Belgian Chess History (https://www.belgianchesshistory.be/...)
Jaque 234, pp. 81-82 (https://www.olimpbase.org/leagueES/...)
*FIDE rating list July 1987 (https://web.archive.org/web/2022112...)
Skakbladet, 3/1988, pp. 46-47 (https://danbase.skak.dk/skakbladet/...)
Tidskrift för Schack, 1/1988, pp. 37-38 (https://tfsarkiv.schack.se/pdf/1988...)
Sakkélet, 5/1988, pp. 140-141 (https://adt.arcanum.com/en/view/Sak...)
Dutch newspapers (available at https://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten)
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