Groningen prize-winners and organizers (photo: official website).
Groningen Jubilee Tournament
The 50th edition of Groningen tournament in the university sport centre Zernike was a great success. Organizer Jan Colly and his team have all reasons to be happy with a smoothly run and highly enjoyable festival which was aimed at all levels and ages. All results, photos and impressions may be found here:
Het Paard to the Olympic Champion
My co-author IM Hans Bohm travelled last week all the way to the southern province of North Brabant to meet the Olympic champion Anky van Grunsven and her winning horse Salinero. Hans granted Anky the first official copy of our brand new book Wij Presenteren Het Paard (We present The Knight) published by Tirion. I was unable to join him this time having had myself to head to the opposite edge of the country, all the way to Groningen where I am taking part in the 50th edition of the traditional Christmas festival.
You may have some pictorial impressions from this meeting on Hans’s website:
www.hansbohm.com/Wijpresenterenhetpaard
The traditional Studies solving simultan in Cafe Atlantis - www.cafeatlantis.nl
Groningen - The Jubilee Edition
Groningen is a world famous chess city with long tradition highlighted by the 1946 international tournament, the first major event to be organized after the Second World War.
Next Friday the 50th edition will start. An experienced organizing team headed by Jan Colly will run various open tournaments to be played on December 21-30 in Sportcentrum Rijksuniversiteit & Hanzehogeschool Blauwborgje 16, 9747 AC Groningen
On December 26-29 GM John van der Wiel will play the Groningen University Chess Challenge against the local young talent Jorden van Foreest.
All festival details and the updated participants list may be found on the official website:
www.schaakstadgroningen.nl
There you may also find the daily brainteaser and send in your solution to win a book prize if you are lucky.
After their hard fought games the players (and other chess lovers) may still enjoy a relaxed after-chess evening in Café Atlantis situated in the city center. The owner Bert van der Marel, himself a great chess lover, a strong player and an endgame study enthusiast, has prepared a special program:
Vrij 21 dec. Atlantis 7 jaar. Het Aquariussnelschaaktoernooi.
Za 22 dec. Doorgeefschaak.
Zo 23 dec. Schaakquiz.
Ma 24 dec. Klikschaak.
Di 25 dec. Eerste Kerstdag. Atlantis gesloten.
Wo 26 dec. Compositieworkshop.
Do 27 dec. Lezing over schaken door IM Hans Böhm.
Vrij 28 dec. SISSA Kerstblitztoernooi in Atlantis
Za 29 dec. Studiesimultaan door IM Yochanan Afek.
Zo 30 dec. Afterparty.
Posted: December 17 - 2012
That is how the table looks following the fifth round
A successful weekend
Last weekend was a successful one for me and for my teams.
My Dutch team from Wageningen beat Amersfoort 6.5:3.5 though Jan Timman lost on our top board to GM Matthew Sadler. Following the victory Wageningen shares the lead in the southern division of the first league (in fact second to the top division – De Meesterklasse) equal in match points to LSG (Leiden) and DD (Den Hague).
Once the victory was secured I left to Lippstadt in Germany and spent there the night. My teammates in Castrop-Rauxel 1923 joined me the next morning to beat the local team 5:3.
My game on the second board reached the following position: 
Black with the exchange ahead has obtained a winning position however he might face technical difficulties after for example: 31...Rf2+? 32.Qxf2 Rxf2+ 33.Kxf2 Qh3 34.Nf3 etc. I thought that the quickest way to convert the edge is to sacrifice a pawn and get my Rooks inside.
31... Qg4! 32.Qxg4 Rf2+ 33.Kh3
Or 33.Kg1 hxg4 34.Be7 R8f7 35.Bxd6 Bh6 36.Nf1 Rb2 37.Bxc5 Rxb3 38.d4 Rc3 wins
33...hxg4+ 34.Kxg4 Bh6! 35.Be7 R8f7 36.Bg5 Kg7
White is in a deadly zugzwang and can move only his king and his fingers.
37.Kh3 Bxg5 38.hxg5 Re2 39.Kg4 Ref2 40.Kh3 Rf8 41.Kg4 a5 42.Kh3 Re2 43.Kg4 Re3 44.Nf1 Ref3 45.Nh2 Rf2 and White soon resigned.
The official website: http://schachverein-castrop-rauxel.de
Posted: December 17 - 2012
Composition delights
Recently I added to my collection two gigantic new books on the art of chess composition. Israeli Chess Problem Art contains 1064 selected chess problems of Israeli composers in all genres (endgame studies included!), published in the years 1932-2010. This largest ever Israeli selection (416 chromo pages hardcover) is edited by solving GM Ofer Comay, IM Gady Costeff and IM Paz Einat and offers also indexes of composers and themes as well as milestones in the history of Israeli chess composition. You may find further details on the book as well as sample pages and other activities of the Israeli problemists here: www.variantim.org
The Encyclopedia of Chess Problems is yet another monumental project of the well-known publishing house Chess Informant in Beograd. The book (520 pages hardcover) is co-authored by the Finnish solving GM Kari Valtonen and the Serb composing GM Milan Velimirovic and is the most serious attempt so far to cover the huge terminology of chess composition defining and explaining its various themes and motives with the help of countless top illustrative examples. More about this magnificent book here: www.chessinformant.rs/encyclopedia-of-chess-problems
Both books are a must for all chess lovers. Highly recommended!
The periodical Chess Informant (founded in 1966) offers a variety of articles on all stages of the game with the best of up to date material but also regular columns for chess problems (by GM Milan Velimirovic) and for endgame studies by yours truly. Worth’s giving a try!
Posted: December 10 - 2012
