Serbia opens the Olympiad against South Sudan in the Open and Madagascar in the Women’s event. The submitted line-ups make both Serbian teams clear favourites: our players hold a rating advantage of more than 400 points on every board. Convincing wins are a realistic expectation and would offer a welcome opportunity to settle into the tournament. Open pairings · Women’s pairings
Round one is scheduled for today, September 16, at noon in Serbia, CEST, or 3pm in Samarkand. This is a match preview; the points still have to be earned. Schedule
South Sudan: Sarana leads, Predke sits out round one
The submitted pairings follow. Colours refer to Serbia’s players; ratings are those listed in the pairings:
- Alexey Sarana (2666), Black - Garang Panthou Joh Madol (2170).
- Aleksandar Inđić (2598), White - Chaderek Panchol Manyok (2077).
- Velimir Ivić (2601), Black - Thon Gong Gong (2159).
- Bojan Maksimović (2534), White - Thokjang Malony Daniel (2105).
Alexandr Predke is outside today’s four-player line-up. Official pairings, match 15
We would pick Inđić’s and Maksimović’s boards to follow closely: with White and a substantial rating advantage, watch how they build pressure and create problems for their opponents. We also expect Sarana and Ivić to seek full points with Black. That is our assessment before the match; the first task is to obtain good positions without rushing.
Inđić’s opponent and a championship with over 120 players
There is an interesting chess story behind the name on board two. Chaderek Panchol Manyok won the qualifying stage of the fourth South Sudan Championship in 2021 with 10/11, ahead of a field of more than 120 players. Thon Gong, facing Ivić today, was among those sharing second place with 8½ points. South Sudan’s federation was established in 2014 and joined FIDE in 2016. FIDE: Manyok’s result and the federation’s development
That is part of the Olympiad’s appeal: different chess traditions meet across the boards, with everyone getting the same opportunity to play a good game.
Madagascar: Bivol on board one, Injac sits out
Serbia’s Women’s line-up follows, again with colours given for the Serbian players:
- Alina Bivol (2345), Black - Sabine Ravelomanana (1894).
- Elif Mehmed (2316), White - Aina Mahasambatra Tsinjoviniavo (1777).
- Jovana Srdanović (2298), Black - Diary Vetsovetson Anjomara Ramorasata (1878).
- Sofija Pogorelskih (2244), White - Norotiana Fararindra Rabenandrasana (1666).
Teodora Injac is not playing round one. Official pairings, match 14
Madagascar brings Olympiad experience to this line-up. Ravelomanana played all eleven rounds on board one in Budapest in 2024, scoring 5½ points. Tsinjoviniavo scored 6½/11 on board four there and plays board two today. For both, Samarkand is a return to the Olympiad stage. Madagascar in Budapest
What would make a good start
As supporters, we are hoping for two 4:0 victories. At the beginning of a long Olympiad, we would also like to see patient conversion, sensible clock management and as few exhausting endgames as possible. The ratings justify optimism; concentration through the final move will matter most at the board.
Follow the games through the official Open broadcast and official Women’s broadcast. Look for match 15: South Sudan - Serbia and match 14: Madagascar - Serbia. Use the pairing pages above for confirmed results.
A separate report will follow the round. While waiting for the first moves, revisit Serbia’s Olympiad achievements.