Butala became the new Slovenian champion

One of the most exciting Slovenian Championships over the last years, held in Fiesa between 17th and 19th November 2006, saw the emergence of a new champion, Gregor Butala 4d (Ljubljana), who finally took this title after finishing second for three times. The most important national competition featured many drawn-out battles and surprising results: Leon Matoh 5d (Novo mesto), the defender of the title and nine-times Slovenian champion, was shut out of contention for the top after his losses in the initial two rounds, and on the evening of the second day, the unexpected leader - and the only undefeated player after four rounds - was Timotej Šuc 2d (Ljubljana). However, after Šuc lost his two remaining games, it became clear that the winner will be decided in a final match between Milan Zakotnik 5d (Kranj) and Gregor Butala. In a hard-fought battle that lasted almost four hours, the latter pulled a 2-point win - and the championship.