Page 13 - Microsoft Word - Toernooigids SFG 2014 [v9_Nummering]

A SHORT PREVIEW OF THE OPEN A
At this moment, two weeks to go to-
wards the Chess Festival Groningen
2014, the participants list of the Open A
group promises to break all records. The
number of players in posession of a FIDE
title approaches the fifties, among which
up to 20 grandmasters (IGM) and 25
IM’s. In the archives one has to turn
back to the 1990’s to find higher amounts
of title holders. And they could have
been even more, if it wasn’t for the the
mere fact that due the ongoing econo-
mical crisis the Groningen festival too
has to cope with decreasing sponsor
budgets. Still, the Chess Festival
Groningen has improved its position on
the ranking list of international Dutch
tournaments to a second place. Tata Steel
has to watch out...
In the 2014 more than ever the
composition of the Open A has a major
feature: we traditionally focus on
inviting and facilitating talented Dutch
youth players. Again a group of some 20
ambitious youngsters is staying on
boatel the Mars, where they are coached
by a set of professional trainers, in
cooperation with the Dutch Chess
Federation.
Other groups
All other club (and home) chess players
are welcome in the Open B (rating
between 2100, 1700), with a first prize of
CHESS FESTIVAL GRONINGEN 2014
€ 650 and substantial rating prizes, or in
the Open C (rating up to 1800), with a
first prize of € 350.
On Boxing day (26th of december) the
Festival will traditionally double its size,
as another 150 chess lovers of all playing
strengths will make it to Groningen to
enter the five round Groningen Compact
tournament. First prize here is € 200 in
each group.
Daniele Vocaturo (Italy, 2590 GM), one
of the strongest ‘students’ in the Open A
Let’s conclude with a variant of a
proven Groningen City Marketing
statement:
A Chess Festival in the City of Talent
– Nothing exceeds Groningen!
25 TOURNAMENT GUIDE
FIFTY-TWO YEARS OF INTERNATIONAAL CHRISTMAS CHESS IN GRONINGEN
Groningen, the capital of the North Netherlands which hosted the first strongest post-WWII
tournament in 1946. This Groningen tournament in 1946 named the Staunton Memorial
was supposed to determinate a possible challenger to play the World Chess Champion
Alexander Alekhine.
The tournament of Groningen showed the start of the Soviet supremacy in international
chess. Mikhail Botvinnik won the event in 1946 with 14½ ahead of Max Euwe 14, Vasily
Smyslov 12½, László Szabó and Miguel Najdorf 12.
From 1963 until 1987 Groningen hosted the annually the European U20 Championship,
in 1993 the PCA World Championship Qualification Open, then in 1997 the FIDE World
Championship Challenger knock-out (128 participants); and a regular annually chess festival!
The winners of top event were:
Niemeyer Tournament (inofficial European U20-Junior Cup): (1962)/1963 Coen Zuidema,
1964 Rob Hartoch, Jørn Sloth, 1965 Hans Ree, Robert Hübner, 1966 Andrew Whiteley, Hans
Ree, 1967 Mikhail Steinberg (who sadly died of Leukemia at very young age, he won two full
points ahead of Andrew Whiteley and Jan Timman as joint third), 1968 Anatoly Karpov, 1969
Karl-Heinz Maeder, Zoltán Ribli, Rafael Vagnian, 1970 Andras Adorjan, 1971 Zoltán Ribli
European Junior Championship: 1972 Gyula Sax, 1973 Oleg Romanishin, 1974 Sergey
Makarichiev, 1975 John Nunn, 1976 Alexander Kochiev, 1977 *Mark Diesen, USA (winner),
Ľubomír Ftáčnik (as runner-up and European Junior Champion), 1978 Shaun Taulbut, 1979
John Van der Wiel, 1980 Alexander Chernin, 1981 Ralf Akesson, 1982 Curt Hansen, 1983 Jan
Ehlvest, 1984 Valery Salov, 1985 Ferdinand Hellers, 1986 Alexander Khalifman, 1987 Vassily
Ivanchuk
GM Invitation Tournaments (round robin): 1988 Ian Rogers (ahead of Ftacnik, Nunn,
Khalifman, Douven, Piket, Lautier, a.o.), 1989 Ian Rogers (ahead of Anand, Azmaiparashvili,
Smyslov, Piket, Brenninkmeijer, Hellers, a.o.), 1990 Michael Adams, Alexander Khalifman,
Jereon Piket, Ian Rogers (ahead of Shirov, Wahls, Gulko, Arnason, a.o.), 1991 Jereon Piket,
Curt Hansen (ahead of Christiansen, I. Sokolov, Dreev, Akopian, Ftacnik, a.o.), 1992 Jeroen
Piket (ahead of Beliavsky, Nijboer, Jussupow, C. Hansen, Miles, a.o.), 1993 Michael Adams
on tie-break joint with Vishy Anand (PCA WC Qualification Open), 1994 Zoltan Almasi
(ahead of Jussupow, Beliavsky, Tiviakov, I. Sokolov, Van Wely, Georgiev, Gulko, Miles,
a.o.), 1995 Anatoly Karpov (Koop Tjuchem, ahead of Kamsky, I. Sokolov, Svidler, Adams,
Leko, Van Wely, a.o.), 1996 Nigel Short (Koop Tjuchem, ahead of Gelfand, Timman, Van
Wely, Leko, Shirov, Svidler, Korchnoi, I. Sokolov, Akopian, a.o.) // Summer 1996 Vasily
Smyslov (Staunton Jubilee, Veterans), 1997 Vishy Anand beating Adams in the Final (FIDE
WC Challenger knock-out for FIDE WCC Lausanne 1998) // Alisa Galliamova (Women
Candidate’s) // Alexander Nenashev (later named Alexander Graf) (Open, clear first), 1998
Tiviakov, Milov (ahead of Almasi, Piket, Yermolinsky, and Asrian, six players, DRR)
In these years, always an additional Open was also played, eg. winner in 1991 (Groningen Open):
1.-4. Janis Klovans (winner on tie-break, making his first GM norm at age of 57), Edvins Kengis,
Aleksandr Schneider, Stanislav Savchenko (ahead of Kramnik, Tiviakov, Finegold, amongst others)
Open: 1999 Sergei Tiviakov (Open 100 players, including 15 GMs, winner as clear first) //
Albert Bokros ahead of David Navara (Youth Masters) // Antoaneta Stefanova (Woman GM
tournament), 2000 (SO-ON, Open A) Erwin L’Ami // Jan Smeets ?? (SO-ON Mini Open)
CHESS FESTIVAL GRONINGEN 2014 26 TOURNAMENT GUIDE