The Croatian Chess Cup Finals, held in Brela(12.05.2026. – 17.05.2026.) has ended today. Chess Club Pula was represented by FM Marko Rubil, GM Nenad Ferčec, CM David Mandalinić i MK Luka Karlović. With this lineup consisting of both experienced players and promising young talents, Chess Club Pula came in 10th out of 32 teams.
Chess Club Pula Results by Rounds
In the first round, team Pula secured a convincing victory over ŠD Sisak with three wins and one draw.
In the second round, team Petar Sedlar – Pepe managed to defeat our chess players 4–0 after a series of tense games. However, this did not discourage them, as they went on to draw against team Caissa and record a victory over team Brda, once again with three wins and one draw.
After the fourth round, we reached 10th place and unfortunately lost a close match against team Sveta Nedelja by a single point. The team then bounced back with a convincing 3–1 victory over team FERIT.
Nenad Ferčec’s Quick Victory in Round 5 Against Sveta Nedelja
Admirable Individual Performances from David Mandalinić i Luka Karlović
At this tournament, we ought to highlight the consistency in strength shown by two younger members of our club, David Mandalinić and Luka Karlović. While David lost only one game against a strong grandmaster Zoran Jovanović, Luka Karlović demonstrated with four wins in six games that, at just 11 years old, he is more than capable of competing at this level in team events and that Chess Club Pula can always count on him.
David Mandalinić’s Draw Against an International Master Dorić Darko
Luka Karlović’s Win in First Round Against Team from Sisak
With this performance Chess Club Pula has once again shown its strength, while games from our young players show there is a lot more to come.