compass-supported Ladimir Mayorov won the prestigious Europe Youth Top 10 in Antibes, held from 2–4 October. At only 13 years of age, he dominated the U15 category, with two more years still to go at this age level.

Europe’s number one in U15, Görkem Öcal, did not participate, but all the other top names in the rankings were present in Antibes. On Friday, Ladimir started with wins against Hubert Kwiecinski of Poland (4:1) and compatriot Alexander Malov (4:0). In the third round, Ladimir faced another compatriot – Marcos Gomez – and lost 1:4.

But neither on Saturday nor Sunday did anyone manage to defeat the 13-year-old from Calella, some 50 km northeast along the coast from Barcelona. Noah Tessier of France came close to pushing “Ladi” to a deciding game, but lost the sixth game 10:12. Tien Nghia Phong of Germany came even closer, leading 3:2 before eventually losing 3:4 after two thrilling concluding games – 12:10, 9:11, 6:11, 11:9, 11:6, 10:12, 10:12.

“Yes!!! I did it!!! I made it!!!” was Ladimir’s first comment, full of joy, afterwards.

“It’s a different kind of tournament,” Ladimir’s father and coach Eduard Mayorov stated. “There are lots of matches, and sometimes after losing one match on the first day, it feels like it’s going to be difficult to continue. But that’s exactly why this format is so good for testing both physical and mental preparation.”

Ladimir’s victory was indisputable. Five of his eight wins came in straight games.

“We’re very happy with the result,” Eduard Mayorov continued. “It shows once again that our whole team, and everyone who supports us, is moving in the right direction. We keep on working!”

The second compass-supported player in the tournament was Adela Brhelova from Czechia, who won two of her nine matches to finish in ninth place. Three of her seven losses came in the seventh game, however, showing just how close Adela was to achieving an even higher finish. One of her victories came against Austria’s Sophia Pichler, 4:0.