Easter in the East
By Edwin Lam Choong Wai

G’day, mate! First stop, Canberra!
The O2C 46th Doeberl Cup
will be held in Canberra from the 20th to the 24th of March 2008. The Cup has
a long history dating back to the triumph of John Purdy in its inaugural edition
in 1963. To be held at the Hellenic Club in the Australian capital, Canberra,
this edition of the Doeberl Cup will not see the return of defending champion,
GM Ian Rogers, who retired from competitive chess in July last year. With Rogers
out of the picture, this year’s event will definitely witness a new champion.

GM Ian Rogers, the defending champion of the Doeberl Cup
So far, top GMs like Vadim Malakhatko, Vladimir Georgiev, S.S. Ganguly, Gawain
Jones, Abhijit Kunte and Daryl Johansen have confirmed their participation in
the Premier event of the Doeberl Cup. But, will the foreign raiders succeed
here in Canberra? Well, historically, only Larry Christiansen (once only), Ketevan
Arakhamia (once only) and Anthony Miles (once only) have succeeded in winning
the Doeberl Cup in the past 45 editions. On the other hand, top local seed,
GM Darryl Johansen has won the event four times in the past. Can he nail it
for a fifth time? Let’s see what happens…
Tournament details
The Doeberl Cup is made up of the Premier, Major, Minor and Senior Events.
The Premier event is a 9-round FIDE rated event, while the Major, Minor and
Senior events are 7-round tournaments. Entries to the Premier event are limited
to 80 participants only.
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When? 20th to the 24th of March 2008
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Time control: 90 mins + 30 secs
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Prize money: This year will see a larger prize list in all divisions
of the Doeberl Cup with cash prizes for all events totaling of 16,800 Australian
Dollars. Ten cash prizes are given away in the Premier event, with the top
dog earning 4,000 Australian dollars.
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How to register? Go and do it online at http://www.doeberlcup.com.au/register.html.
Tournament entry is free for GMs, IMs, WGMs, WIMs and players with FIDE
ratings above 2500. Full details of the Doeberl Cup is available in the
official website www.doeberlcup.com.au

Next port of call: Ahoy, Sydney!
Next up after the Doeberl Cup, is the 2008
Sydney International Open (SIO) Chess Tournament. Into its second
edition, the SIO will again be hosted at the Parramatta Town Hall in Sydney.
To be held from the 25th to the 29th of March 2008, this is a 9-round FIDE rated
tournament. There is the Open and Challenger categories and players under 2000
FIDE rating are free to enter either the Open or Challenger categories

Destination…Parramatta
The inaugural edition of the tournament last year witnessed the co-winning
effort of both GM Dejan Antic and GM Geory Timoschenko. Antic has confirmed
his participation this time around to defend his title, but there is still no
sight of Timoschenko in the entrant’s list as of 20th January 2008.
Top foreign GMs, such as Malakhatko, Vladimir Georgiev, SS Ganguly, Gawain
Jones and Abhijit Kunte have confirmed their participation in the SIO – coming
straight after the Doeberl Cup. And, this list may yet still change – with more
top players confirming their entry to the competition in the next month, or
so.
These guys will compete against Australia’s top players such as Zhao Zong-Yuan,
Daryl Johansen, Stephen Solomon and Gary Lane for the top prize in this tournament.
Just like in 2007, this year’s edition will surely be a fighting affair. And,
in a further effort to promote fighting chess, this year’s edition will feature
the additional rule of not allowing draws under 30 moves without the consent
of the arbiter. Expect a bloodshed, guys!

2007’s 1st Sydney International Open in progress
Tournament details
-
When? 25th to the 29th of March 2008
-
Time control: 90 mins + 30 secs
-
Prize money: The total prize money for both the Open and Challenger
categories come up to 16,500 Australian Dollars. The Open category’s Champion
will get to take home the Leon Pratt prize totaling 5,000 Australian Dollars.
Besides the twelve cash prizes that are up for grabs in the Open category,
there are three more special cash prizes for the Best Female, Best Junior
U18 and Best Junior U12.
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How to register? Tournament entry is free for GMs, IMs, WGMs, WIMs
and players with FIDE Ratings above 2500. Full details of both the Open
and Challenger categories are contained in the attached SIO Open and Challenge
entry forms below. Should you still require more information to the tournament,
you can contact the organizer, FM Brian Jones at info@chessaustralia.com.au.

Blue Mountains – about 1 hour out of Sydney’s Central Business District
The Three Sisters

The Fish Market in Sydney…another “must-visit” attraction
Manly Beach, Sydney
Final destination: Sawatdii-khrap,
Bangkok
The 8th Bangkok Chess Club Open
will be held from the 1st to the 6th of April 2008 at the Century Park Hotel,
Bangkok (www.centuryparkhotel.com).
So far, over 80 participants from 23 different countries have registered for
both the Bangkok Chess Club Open and Challenger categories. The list of players
in the Open category includes 8 Grandmasters with GM Zaw Win Lay from Myanmar
as the top seed.

Bangkok’s skyline on a “winter” morning

Sunset in Bangkok
Tournament details
The Open category is for all players, while the Challenger category is meant
for players who are rated below 2100 Elo or unrated. The Open category is a
nine-round FIDE rated competition, while the Challenger category will only see
seven rounds of action. Players in both categories will compete under the Swiss
System.
-
When? 1st to the 6th of April 2008
-
Time control: 90 mins + 30 secs
-
Prize money: The top prize in the Open category is approximately
USD 1,500. Besides the top prize, prizes are also given to the other top
6 ranked finishers. There are also 3 other best Thai player prizes as well
as certificates for the Best Lady and Best Junior.
- How to register? Entrance fee to the Bangkok Chess Club Open category
is THB 2,800, while participants to the Challenger category only need to pay
a fee of THB 800. Early bird discounts are applicable for registrations before
the 10th of March 2008. GMs, WGMs, IMs and WIMs are given free entry to the
tournament. Online registration for the tournament at the following web link:
http://www.bangkokchess.com/register8.php.
Should you still require additional information, please contact Bangkok Chess
Club at bangkokchess@gmail.com.

Evening impression of Bangkok
Thai food is more than just about “tom yam”…

Or, green and red curries…

There are so many more varieties of food in Bangkok… check out the Nathong
Restaurant
Still not sure what to do this Easter? Let’s go East this Easter!