'Winter Games' in Wijk

Regional Dutch KWA Meeting with International Participation - Wijk aan Zee, 2009

Like in the years before, this time as well the visit of the Corus tournament was combined with a regional meeting of our association which had been set for the Saturday of the last February weekend. There was still a previous visit of the Royal Library The Hague on the agenda for two of the three German participants, Michael Negele and the reporter (R.B.), which should above all serve some further research for our Lasker book project. We will tell only that: the results concerning the photos taken from the Rueb scrapbooks can really be called sensational.

  • First impressions of The Hague on late Friday morning – we were met by a piercing cold wind.
  • A view of the Royal Library inside
  • Our webmaster had arrived at the "open" chess department of the "Koninklijke Bibliotheek".
In the picture: a medieval chess motif on the wall
In the picture: a medieval chess motif on the wall

The majority of the chess literature is stored today in "closed" archives or stacks. It is possible to take a look partly by lending, partly only by means of microfilms.

On Saturday morning a meeting with our Dutch friends Bob van de Velde and Peter de Jong took place, after all a lot of smaller issues had to be clarified in Bob’s bridge contribution to the Lasker biography. Peter de Jong’s contribution on "Lasker in Holland" could already be admired in a very impressive layout, the author was very much taken with it.

  • Ralf Binnewirtz and Bob van de Velde in a good mood during the meeting in the Hotel de Weyman (Santpoort)
  • Michael Negele had brought a Laska travel set and familiarized Peter de Jong shortly with the rules.
  • Our Dutch bridge expert showed some enthusiasm for Laska as well.
In front of the Corus poster: Ralf Binnewirtz and Bob van de Velde
In front of the Corus poster: Ralf Binnewirtz and Bob van de Velde

Then in the early afternoon departure to Wijk, we missed the start of the penultimate round – our morning discussion had dragged on a little longer than intended.

There was only limited time to observe the tournament events including the supporting programme as our regional KWA meeting together with the book market took up the main part of the afternoon. Nevertheless we have brought numerous snapshots of the playing hall, a selection is compiled here in two galleries: Gallery I / Gallery II (25 + 23 photos). In the penultimate round many players were obviously very highly tense, some wandered restlessly about the playing area ...

A view of the playing area
A view of the playing area

An additional gallery (17 photos) will illuminate our internal meeting which took place in the commentary tent. After a short flying visit two Dutch members (Jan van Reek and Hans Engberts) were no longer present but nevertheless we still counted considerable 11 members (Ralf Binnewirtz, Bert Corneth, bernd ellinghoven, Calle Erlandsson, Gunnar Finnlaugsson, Guy van Habberney, Michael Negele, Henri Serruys, Per Skjoldager, Jurgen Stigter, Bob van de Velde), in addition the Swedish chess journalist Lars Grahn had joined in as a guest.

Small board meeting after the book market; not in the picture: (photographer) Michael Negele and Bert Corneth.
Small board meeting after the book market; not in the picture: (photographer) Michael Negele and Bert Corneth.
The booklet on the composing tourney (printed by -be- à aix-la-chapelle)
The booklet on the composing tourney (printed by -be- à aix-la-chapelle)

Subsequent to our discussion we could only just attend the final presentation of the first "Corus Endgame Studies Day", about that a short picture series (8 photos) as well. As a complete surprise, 18-year-old Dutchman Twan Burg could win first prize in the solving contest, even outdistancing quite clearly the favourite GM John Nunn and other crack solvers (see also the short report by Yochanan Afek on the Corus web site).

Another visit of the playing hall was Michael Negele’s "undoing" as his mobile phone rang unexpectedly (he was convinced to have turned it off). Of course the arbiter was immediately on the spot and Michael was forced to give a donation – whole 10 € went into the fine pot.

  • No mobile phones! – The chief arbiter with the "Boetepot" (1st time: € 10 – 2nd time: € 25 – 3rd time: you are sent off the hall!)
  • The receipt made out to Michael

At the close of the day the still present hard core of eight participants went to dine in the nearby Horse Club restaurant:

Still sitting there without a drink ... (on the right Lars Grahn) At the next table in the background Vassily Ivanchuk, a little better visible in the enlarged detail below.
Still sitting there without a drink ... (on the right Lars Grahn) At the next table in the background Vassily Ivanchuk, a little better visible in the enlarged detail below.

Vassily Ivanchuk’s result in this elite tournament (11th place in the end) was quite sad, on this penultimate day as well he could – with the white pieces – hold Dominguez only to an early draw.

  • At this table the idea was born for a new Icelandic book project (to be finished in 2010) – hopefully it will not remain an idea only.
  • View of the other end of the table: finally Per Skjoldager and Michael Negele are caught in a photo too!
  • The final group photo in front of the "Horse Club"

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