
This nine round Swiss tournament took place from August 3 to 10 in Vlissingen
(English: Flushing), a city located on the (former) island of Walcheren
and has been an important harbour for centuries.
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The rate of play in the tournament was 40 moves in 90 minutes, followed
by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds
per move from the start of the game. Interestingly the FIDE "zero tolerance"
rule 6.6a was not applied, and players had to be present at the chessboard
only one hour after the scheduled time to start or risk losing the game
("unless the arbiter sees a good reason to decide otherwise").
We call that the "lotsa tolerance" rule.
Tournament report from Vlissingen
By WGM Alina l'Ami
Whenever we are trapped in the tight corners of conversational gaps and
simply don’t know how to fill in the embarrassing dilated pauses,
there is something that rescues us: weather of course, the last refuge of
the unimaginative. In The Netherlands though, this topic could be considered
as a national pastime or an important mainstay of almost any dialogue. It
rains a lot, summers are short and cold, wind and rainfall are year-round
factors, so I am no longer surprised by the rather long (ten minutes!) weather
forecast on television. Obviously there is always an opportunity for some
pleasant grumbling. The insatiable search for a happy ‘accident’
of spending one entire week in the sun is therefore perfectly explainable
in this sea of grayness.

However, climate is what you expect and weather is what you get. Even if
the calendar says August, the temperature can laugh into your face, without
caring at all what time of the year it is. All in all, I wouldn’t
bet my paycheck on a weather forecast for tomorrow, not in Holland anyway,
where clouds seem to move according to an algorithm known only by Mother
Nature.
It was easy to predict a wonderful tournament in Vlissingen, as we got
used to it ever since 1995, but we couldn’t have anticipated that
the 19th edition of the traditional HZ tournament would be absolutely superb,
warmed up not only by the organizers tireless efforts but also by the sunny
days! With the rounds starting late in the afternoon, at 18.30, the clear
skies which accompanied almost the entire event were a perfect match, especially
when the location is a lively seaside resort stretched on the North Sea
coastline.

Nevertheless, soaking up the sun, sipping the (non)alcoholic cocktails
or strolling along the beachfront may not be the main reasons for Vlissingen’s
magnetism. A bonus – yes, but the chess players would politely point
out the biggest attraction of them all: chess by the sea, in the traditional
and strongest Dutch Opens – HZ tournament!
Quite often the organizers of a chess tournament are put in the unpleasant
situation of withdrawals in the last minute. Not here, where everyone inscribed
(250 players to be precise, the maximum amount the tournament hall can hold)
showed up, to the injury of the waiting list. Many chess lovers were hoping
against hope they would be given a chance to replace those to have changed
their mind at very short notice. In other words, there is an attraction
more powerful than any super glue could come up with, between the participants
and this lovely event, or maybe more of an unseen chain that inevitably
drags the chess players’ feet to the same playing hall each year!

Overview of the playing hall, located in the
University of Applied Sciences in Vlissingen

Open air chess outside – but no cell
phones please!
In order to give you the reverse of the medal, too, I should mention a
small incident which occurred during the tournament: while playing his game,
a chess player went outside to … speak on the phone! Most likely,
he was playing chess for the pure joy of this activity and was not accustomed
to our strict professional rules. The appeal committee weighted all the
pros and cons and finally decided to award a zero to the unfortunate amateur…
But the story continues: next day, the very same person’s phone rang
again while he was deeply calculating his next move! After this, not even
the softest arbiter could do anything about it. Even if he had nothing to
hide, even though unhappiness was clearly written on his face, he had to
step out of the tournament. Pity, indeed, but rules are needed in society
to avoid chaos; or cheating in some cases.
Without going any further into the endless topic of fighting against this
malady, a funny idea has been pointed out in a recent facebook discussion:
the opponents should exchange their phones before the game and swap it back
once it's over! This idea has already implemented in India, in a tournament
played this winter, at GM Teske’s suggestion! It works, unless a player
has three mobiles like some of my friends…

Dutch GM Erwin l’Ami – don't get
tricked by the lovely smile, it was very impolite to defeat his wife
And while I am still in the Facebook addictive region, I should mention
my latest message: “It is official: Erwin l’Ami will be sleeping
on the balcony tonight after winning against his own wife!” It might
sound like a funny remark to you but trust me, I was not in such a cheerful
mood. After a couple of hours though, I learned to be more generous and
lent a blanket to my shivering husband…

L'Ami vs L'Ami, Erwin vs Alina, 1-0 in round
five. After defeating his wife...
... this is the view Erwin could enjoy from
our balcony, where he spent his night
On a more serious note: I had difficulties in separating the emotions felt
during and after the game, especially when trying to avoid projecting my
own frustration and anger on my dearest opponent. Erwin was obviously happy
to add a new point on his way to the top, while I was fighting tooth and
nail to keep my composure and pretend I was all right; after all, the rating
points remained in the family, right?!

Turning point for the final standings: Pentala
Harikrishna vs Thomas Henrichs
The German GM was leading with a perfect score up to this crucial round:
5.0/5! Unfortunately for him, from this moment on things took the wrong
direction, after losing the sixth round against the Indian GM.

Top seed Pentala Harikrishna, who just crossed
the 2700 border once again! He had a good tournament and the highest performance.
But the odds were against him, propelling the Indian GM on the fifth place.

Second seed and winner of the tournament:
Polish GM Michal Krasenkow

Third seed: GM Konstantin Landa. Seventh is
not a dream place to be sitting on
but the Russian GM had the second best performance from entire tournament!
Top final standings (after nine rounds)
In the end four players were tied for the first place: Krasenkow, l’Ami,
Lalith and Ducarmon, all with 7.5, quite a big score and a necessary one
to stand out from a crowd of 250 participants.
Rank |
Name |
Score |
Fed. |
Rating |
Perf |
W-We |
BH |
SB |
PS |
1 |
GM Krasenkow,
Michal |
7.5 |
POL |
2635 |
2671 |
+0.52 |
54.5 |
44.5 |
38.5 |
2 |
GM L'Ami,
Erwin |
7.5 |
NED |
2626 |
2653 |
+0.50 |
52.0 |
42.5 |
39.0 |
3 |
GM Lalith,
Babu M.R. |
7.5 |
IND |
2576 |
2630 |
+0.72 |
51.0 |
41.5 |
38.0 |
4 |
IM Ducarmon,
Quinten |
7.5 |
NED |
2438 |
2532 |
+1.26 |
48.0 |
39.0 |
36.5 |
5 |
GM Harikrishna,
P. |
7.0 |
IND |
2696 |
2698 |
+0.19 |
58.0 |
43.5 |
39.5 |
6 |
GM Ernst,
Sipke |
7.0 |
NED |
2560 |
2612 |
+0.76 |
56.5 |
42.25 |
38.0 |
7 |
GM Landa,
Konstantin |
7.0 |
RUS |
2632 |
2688 |
+0.79 |
56.0 |
42.75 |
39.5 |
8 |
IM Burg,
Twan |
7.0 |
NED |
2486 |
2512 |
+0.39 |
55.0 |
41.5 |
36.0 |
9 |
GM Ikonnikov,
Vyacheslav |
7.0 |
RUS |
2555 |
2572 |
+0.43 |
52.0 |
38.5 |
37.0 |
10 |
Mostertman,
Milan |
7.0 |
NED |
2280 |
2450 |
+2.12 |
48.0 |
36.0 |
34.5 |
11 |
FM Rijnaarts,
Sjef |
7.0 |
NED |
2354 |
2369 |
+0.38 |
45.0 |
32.5 |
32.0 |
12 |
IM Van
Delft, Merijn |
6.5 |
NED |
2415 |
2481 |
+1.05 |
54.5 |
36.0 |
36.0 |
13 |
GM Zhao,
Xue |
6.5 |
CHN |
2562 |
2523 |
-0.09 |
53.0 |
36.0 |
36.5 |
14 |
GM Reinderman,
Dimitri |
6.5 |
NED |
2598 |
2495 |
-0.83 |
51.5 |
35.0 |
36.0 |
15 |
Kerigan,
Demre |
6.5 |
TUR |
2257 |
2420 |
+1.62 |
50.0 |
34.75 |
33.0 |
16 |
IM Akshat,
Khamparia |
6.5 |
IND |
2354 |
2370 |
+0.43 |
48.0 |
31.75 |
34.0 |
17 |
IM Leenhouts,
Koen |
6.5 |
NED |
2379 |
2318 |
-0.38 |
46.5 |
31.5 |
33.0 |
18 |
WGM L'Ami,
Alina |
6.5 |
ROU |
2358 |
2309 |
-0.31 |
46.0 |
31.5 |
32.5 |
Full final
standings of 250 players

Four players tied for the first place: M.R.
Babu Lalith, Michal Krasenkow,
Erwin l'Ami and Quinten Ducarmon, all with 7.5/9. Krasenkow won on tiebreak.

A 'scary' opponent to face over the board but
a wonderful person: Chinese GM Zhao Xue

Whoever says women cannnot achieve equally
good results with men
should take one more look at Harika Dronavalli's title: GM!

Harika give a simultaneous exhibition in Vlissingen
There are many interesting games from the tournament to point out but I
will limit myself to four:
- Henrichs-Reinderman (Henrichs started with 5 out of 5, leading the
tournament alone after winning against the current Dutch champion, Reinderman,
in a nerve-wracking time trouble)
- Krasenkow-van Delft (typical Krasenkow attacking style)
- Landa-Ikonnikov (model game)
- l'Ami-l'Ami (for obvious reasons!)
Replay the games
Select games from the dropdown menu above the board

Another reason for the special, laidback and friendly atmosphere of the
HZ tournament was the adjacent analysis room (drinks were present too),
busy until the wee hours since night is the mother of counsel.

Somehow fish tastes better in Vlissingen!

Zeeland is famous for its seafood, but mostly
for its mussels, often referred to as 'black gold'

A Dutch house in green surroundings –
reminds me of the Hansel and Gretel story
And because we all know it, chess players are night owls, the option of
skipping breakfast and play rather late is a good combo; even for an early
bird like me, giving me the option to explore the beautiful city and its
surroundings!

Vlissingen, which is now the third most important port in the Netherlands,
after Amsterdam and Rotterdam, thanks to its strategic position as a passageway
to Antwerp. It is also known as the birthplace of Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
(above), probably the most famous admiral in Dutch history. Sea gulls of
course have no sense of history.

Hard to beat: the seafront of Vlissingen on
a warm summer's day

The green bus that runs on solar energy was
also happy with the sunny days we had!
However lucky we were this time with such unexpectedly warm days, there
wasn’t always the case and the Dutch people know it. Back in the 50s,
soon enough after the atrocities of the Second World War, a combination
of wind, high tide and low pressure caught off guard the Southern province
of Holland, Zeeland (Sealand for the English speakers). In the night of
31st January 1953, Vlissingen suffered a horrendous flood disaster, causing
numerous deaths and widespread property damage.

Marking the water level from various natural
disasters, when the land was claimed by the sea.
The highest and hopefully the last one stands as a witness for the 1953
flood.
But the Dutch are a thorough lot. After the North Sea flood and extensive
research, they came up with the so-called "Deltaplan", a series
of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect
a large area of land from the sea. The defense consists of dams, sluices,
locks, dikes, levees, and storm surge barriers, Delta Works subsequently
having been declared one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the
American Society of Civil Engineers.

Nowadays Zeeland is the dyke-protected province that people often associate
with the Netherlands when they're not thinking of tulips or bicycles. And
playing chess in this flat, mostly sub-sea-level region was a wonderful
experience! Besides, I recently found out that life is not about learning
to survive the storm but rather learning how to dance in the rain. Since
Holland has lots of it, you can imagine its inhabitants are perfect teachers?
From them I learned to cherish the sun whenever it decides to show up its
round glowing fireball, taking in that Vitamin D like there is no tomorrow!
And truth be told, how would many people start a conversation if the weather
wouldn’t change once in a while?