Dutch
Championship 2008The Dutch Championship is taking place from April 2nd to 13th, 2008, in the TV Studio 2, Media Park, Hilversum. The event is a twelve-player round robin with an average rating of 2536 (= Category XII). First prize is € 10,000. The rate of play is 40 moves in 120 minutes. After that the players get 55 minutes for the rest of the game, with a five-second increment per move starting from move 41.
In the men's section three young GMs are in the lead, with 4.0/6 points. Yge Visser, who was leading alone after five games, lost his round six game against Sipke Ernst and dropped into the next slot. Sergey Tiviakov, who has won the Dutch Championship on several occasions, is a disappointing eighth with a 2524 performance so far.
In the women's section there are ten players (and identical time controls). Bianca Muhren has won all her games so far and is in the sole lead. Top seed Peng Zhaoqin, who has a full grandmaster title, is in second. She has won the Dutch Championship many times and is a force to be watched.
The men's and women's championships under way in Hilversum
GM Yasser Seirawan annotating the games for spectators
Seirawan comments in the background, IM Hans Böhm does a simul in the "chess
pub"
Beat Visser and took the lead: GM Sipke Ernst, 2559
In the lead: GM Jan Smeets, 2578
Leading in the women's section: WIM Bianca Muhren, 2297
Many-times Dutch women's champion GM Peng Zhaoqin, 2465
WGM Tea Lanchava, originally from Georgia, 2365
WIM Marlies Bensdorp, rated 2268
Twin sister Laura Bensdorp, rated 2085
Anne Haast, 14, rated 2020
19-year-old Martine Middelveld, rated 2040
| All photos and information by courtesy of ChessVista – Frits Agterdenbos. Many more pictures are available on this web site. |
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