President of HNK Hajduk Ivan Kos hosted a reception today for a chess player Ivan Saric, citizen of Split, who has become new Europe's chess champion seven days ago in the competition of 302 players at the European Championship in Georgia.

On behalf of Hajduk, the President Kos has congratulated him on this historical success, since he once again reached the greatest success of the Croatian chess in history, after Zdenko Kozul won the same title in 2006 in Turkey.

Ivan Saric was born in Split in 1990 and was playing for Chess Club Mornar from Split, then he moved to Mravince Dalmacijacement, and today he is a member of the club Liburnia from Rijeka. In 2008, he became a World junior Champion in Vietnam, and one year earlier in Sibenik he became the European junior champion. He became the international chess master in 2007, and next year he earned a title of grandmaster.

In the Trophy hall at Poljud, Saric was handed Hajduk jersey number one and some other gifts, and after this reception, the European Chess Champion and his father Branko decided to join our big family of Hajduk members, which is their beloved football club as well.

We would like to once again congratulate our European champion Ivan, we wish him a lot of luck and success in his future sports career!