In recent years, the Dutch National Chess Championships have adopted a knockout format modeled after the FIDE World Cup. In each round, players compete in mini-matches consisting of two classical games. If the score is tied, a playoff with blitz games determines the winner. This year's tournament took place at the "Ald Weishoes" in Venlo.
The open section featured most of the country's top players, with the notable exception of Anish Giri. In the absence of the Dutch number one, Jorden van Foreest and Loek van Wely—ranked second and third nationally—entered the event as favorites. Defending champion Max Warmerdam was also considered a strong contender but was eliminated in the first round by Liam Vrolijk.
The two top favorites successfully navigated the early rounds and ultimately faced each other in the final, held last Saturday and Sunday.
After a draw in the first game, Jorden van Foreest secured the title with a decisive win in the second. Facing Van Wely's Scheveningen Variation, Van Foreest—playing White—opted for a highly aggressive approach and surprised the seasoned eight-time Dutch champion with a fresh idea involving a pawn sacrifice. Van Wely accepted the offer but soon fell behind in development. Van Foreest launched a crushing attack, finishing the game with a dazzling combination that began with the classic bishop sacrifice on h7. In a flourish reminiscent of the famous "Immortal Game," the new champion even gave up a rook to seal his victory in style.
For Jorden van Foreest it was the second Dutch national title, the first having come in 2016. Loek van Wely took the loss with good grace. After the award ceremony, the always witty and eloquent Van Wely shared a story about how his children—aged six and nine—give him plenty of motivation.
After playing a small tournament, Van Wely said, his daughter asked him how it went.
"Three wins and a draw," he replied. "Oh," she concluded, "so the others weren’t very good then."
| Final - 4. Round | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | GM | Van Wely Loek | ½ | 0 | ½ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | GM | Van Foreest Jorden | ½ | 1 | 1½ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Partien Allgemeines Turnier
The women’s national title also went to the Van Foreest family. The top-ranked player, Eline Roebers, did not participate in this year’s tournament, making Jorden van Foreest’s younger sister, Machteld, one of the favorites. The top four Dutch women were seeded directly into the second round. In the semifinal, Machteld van Foreest eliminated Anna-Maja Kazarian and advanced to the final, where she faced Robin Duson, who had earned her spot with a match victory over Anne Haast.
After a draw in the first game of the match, the second game took a dramatic turn. Machteld van Foreest first missed a mating attack, after which Robin Duson gained a clearly superior position. In the end, however, Machteld managed to escape with a draw. She then went on to win the playoff convincingly 2–0.
| Final - 4. Round | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Duson Robin | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | FM | Van Foreest Machteld | ½ | ½ | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Games Women's Tournament
