The Czech Grandmaster Vojta Plat is a welcome guest in Groningen; it's already his fourth time he's attending the Chess Festival. Plat likes it so much in Groningen, that he brings along no less than five of his friends to this edition: Alexey Kislinsky, Martin Cerveny, Martin Simet, Ales Jedlicka, and Ottomar Ladva. The 24-years old Plat became an IM in 2009 and obtained the Grandmaster-title in 2017. He currently has a rating of 2550. Since several years now he is living the life of a chess professional, but he's not the type that stays home to study chess in solitude all day, every day. Plat very much likes the social aspect of the chess community: the After Chess program during the tournament and a nice glass of beer in some good company seem almost as important to him as his results behind the board.

If you wouldn't play chess, in what sport you would (want to) be a professional? And of all professions?
As a minor I played football quite well , so probably I would be a football-player, or maybe ice-hockey. And of all professions? Something with IT or something with travelling or tourism - a tour guide for example.

According to you, how big is the factor luck in chess?
Fortunately, chess is about skills. Well, there is also a factor of luck, but minimally. Not like in poker for example.

The Chess Festival Groningen will host the third consecutive Student Christmas Chess on the 23rd of December. This event is intended for any student who knows the rules, but doesn't play at tournaments or a chess club on regular basis. Entry is free, while the first prize is €150. Three students of the same study association can team up to fight for the extra Study Association prize, netting both the players and the Association €60. We hope to get 'homeplayers' to try out an official tournament, while at the same time giving the chance to follow the games of the strongest Groninger and Dutch Chess players. 

Still in doubt whether you're ready? There are practice sessions on wednesday night 12 and 19 December at Hooghoudt Proeflokaal. Jonah and Thiadrik won in 2017, while Arno Clinched first prize in 2016. Who's next?

Find more information at our website under Students Chess and sign up!

It's fair to say chess is in Lucas van Foreest's blood. His three year older brother Jorden and 11-year-old sister Machteld are among the very best players in the world in their consecutive age groups, and one could say the same from Lucas (age 17, rating 2499). His great-great grandfathers Dirk and Arnold became Dutch champions as well as Jorden, one thing Lucas wants to become one day too. He recently obtained the GM-title, and for the long run, his aim is reaching a rating of 2700. Although chess is a prominent factor in his life, Van Foreest has many interests (e.g. politics) and wants to develop himself in different ways. His general goal is to build a successful career, chess related or not. For now, he's combining high-school with the life of a chess professional. He just played a tournament in Saint Louis and after the University Match in Groningen he's playing the strong B-group of TATA Steel Chess. He expects the match against Ivan Sokolov to be very interesting with chances for both sides.

If you wouldn't play chess, in what sport you would (want to) be a professional? And of all professions?
Arm-wrestler, or a cook.

According to you, how big is the factor luck in chess?
I don't know how big of a factor luck is, but for some reason, the stronger player is always the lucky one. Just looking at one game, the factor seems to be quite big, For this, it is easily possible to beat a much stronger player. But in the long term, just like in poker, it will not play a big role.

The Chess Festival Groningen offers a generous prize fund for the 2018 edition. The Open A has a total prize fund north of €6000. The tournament winner takes home €1800, while there’s an extra prize for the best scoring woman of €400. The remainder of the prize fund is distributed among the other top finishers and a rating prize. With this prize fund Chess Festival Groningen is among the highest in the Netherlands, which can be seen in the strength of the field of players. Of course this prize fund wouldn’t be possible without our sponsors the University of Groningen, The Municipality Groningen and Hotels.nl.

As part of the Chess Festival’s University Challenge, Ivan Sokolov and Lucas van Foreest will play a four-game match. The match will take place from Thursday the 27th of December until Sunday the 30th. This year marks the milestone of the tenth clash between an experienced older player and a youthful challenger. Except for the age gap, the two players share a lot of similarities. Both Sokolov and Van Foreest are well dressed men, known for their remarkable character. They play the same brand of fighting chess, and are unafraid of all the complications in their games. All in all, this matchup is promising to deliver an interesting match to close the year. 

A group

B/C group

4-person A

4-person B

4-person C

4-person D

4-person E

4-person F

4-person G

4-person H

4-person I

4-person J

4-person K

Compact A

Compact B

Compact C

The registration for this year event has opened. If you click on the yellow banner above which says 'Sign up', things should be easy.

It's possible to register for the 9 round event (A,B, and C-group) or to choose to play only before or after Christmas. More information on dates, side events, participants, etc you'll find on this page above or on the right.

We will publish news about the Festival on a regular basis on this website. For any information feel free to contact us. We hope to see you at the end of this year in Groningen.

The organisation of the Chess Festival Groningen

The dates of the next edition of the Chess Festival Groningen have been announced. Traditionally this tournament -with its long and captivating history- is held over the Christmas period, and this year is no exception. The organisers have decided to have the tournament take place from Saturday 22 December until Sunday 30 December. As usual Christmas day, Tuesday 25 December, is a day off. The Open Tournament consists of 9 rounds Swiss.

The A-group consists of strong grandmasters both from the Netherlands and abroad again this year. They are joined by IMs, FMs, norm chasers and ambitious club players. The B-group offers a spot to those unable to match with the grandmasters, but eager to play 9 competitive rounds of chess. In addition, you can choose to just compete before or after Christmas in the 4 Person Round Robin or the Compact Group. On Sunday 23 December two rounds will take place in one day. Further details concerning additional festivities, such as the contestants of the annual match (University Challenge) and the Students Christmas Chess Tournament, will follow on this website, Facebook and Twitter.

Registration will open shortly, but you can save the dates now. We hope to see you in Groningen this Christmas!

Koen Lambrecht, tournament director Chess Festival Groningen

We all have dreams. As I am sitting in my living room behind my computer here in Groningen, I take a look outside at the grey, misty sky. I imagine myself at the South coast of Italy. I am in a small hotel where I’m one of the few guests. In the morning I work on my novel. In the afternoon I eat a pasta dish with fresh seafood that the cook prepares just for me. I then take an after-lunch nap and drink some cocktails with the other guests. I do a little more writing and then –in the evening – I eat a pasta dish with a sage/butter sauce, drink a nice glass of local, red wine, and joke a bit with the waiter. In the night time I go for a swim between the rocks of the Mediterranean Sea. The water is still warm from the past summer and I am accompanied by a girl from the local village, who happens to be there too. Once the temperatures in my home country rise again, I go home and meet my family and friends. At that point, my novel has been translated into seventeen languages. After spending the summer in the Netherlands, I return to the hotel in Italy.

Rahul Srivatshav P. has an IM norm, even if he loses.

IM Stefan Kuipers

GM Benjamin Bok

Children are disgusting little creatures. They are the only mammal on earth that require intensive, perennial care, cost lots of money, are bad for the environment, and the main reason for overpopulation. Children are erratic, think they’re funny and get away with almost anything. They cry if they don’t get enough attention and when they are quiet for a second they will immediately break the silence and ask stupid questions.

Children contribute little to the average household, whereas it doesn’t seem too much to ask to have a cookbook assist them in cooking a decent meal every once in a while. Children don’t drink, so having a good time with them is rare. And once they finally do get older they transform into a even worse specie, the adolescent, before they finally, after all those years, become reasonable human beings.

Eelke de Boer struck back in his match against Dennis de Vreugt. Both players had their chances, and de Vreugt actually was in the drivers seat for the longest time, but Eelke showed his strength when Dennis stumbled just before the finish line.

In the A - group the first bord was a relatively calm draw, but otherwise it was a bloodbath with 3 chasers catching up with Plat en Postny. Turov, Bok and Kislinsky managed to beat Rahul, Kryakvin and Tiviakov and there is now a 5-way tie for first place.

The Chess festival is more than just a tournament; it offers chances to young and old, newbies and veterans. We've had the Student Christmas Chess on the 23rd and this round we had the Youth Grand Prix. With many of the older youth players already participating in the senior tournaments, we're happy that no less than 45 youngsters showed up to participate. Winner of the day was Johnny Albadeen.

Photos: Harry Gielen (and: Youth)

Report: Koen 

I love chess openings, I do. Not really a good story to tell on a Saturday evening in a bar when a nice lady asks you: ‘And, what are your hobbies?’ (Although one can question the likeability of someone who asks that question on a Saturday evening in the first place, but that’s another story)

My chess openings hobby is rather serious. I make lists of alternative definitions of openings - like if they weren’t chess openings. I hope you understand. You have to do something in your spare time, right?

The first question your colleague chess player asks is never if you would like something to drink or how your mother is. It is always: ‘What is your new rating?’ The chess player who has lost nine rating points on the new Elo rating list, considers selling his house and leaving the country forever. Gained fourteen points? The player orders a case of champagne, drinks it, and dares to show his face at the chess club again.

Rating terror flourishes in the chess world. A few weeks ago a team member of mine lost a long, difficult game. The first thing his opponent asked was: ‘What is your rating?’ My team member answered, and the first reaction on the other side of the board was a typical one: ‘Oh, then I only won four rating points.’

An uneventful draw left tournament leader Plat in pole position, since none of his chasers managed to win their game. Tomorrow Groninger favorite Tiviakov will take on Plat with White. For some entertainment, watch the games by Kislinsky, Lubbe and Beerdsen. 

December is always a bit of a strange month. Vague nostalgic feelings get drowned in alcohol and the empty feeling in our stomachs is filled by turkey and venison. In the meantime we come together with those we normally trying to avoid as much as possible; our dear family. A month of contradictions so to say, and that was certainly the case in the world of chess this December. During the London Chess Classics the crème de la crème of human chess played one draw after the other, while somewhere on the internet or in the cloud new kid on the block AlphaZero crushed Stockfish, the best chess computer known to man (and to computers), until now.

As boring as the human games were, so exciting were the pieces of art AlphaZero produced. Magnus Carlsen proved to be human after all by playing his worst game in years (against Ian Nepomniachtchi). At the same time AlphaZero was called an ‘alien’. Other commentators thought Alpha (I can call him Alpha) on the other hand produced very humanlike chess, which proves that nobody exactly knew what was going on. One thing was clear: this was something else.