BCC – Page 32 – Bangkok Chess Club

GM Nigel Short: The 12th BCC Open 2012 Champion

June 6, 2012July 3, 2019 BCC

An interview with “Moving Target” GM Nigel Short by Alexander J. Klemm

AK: Congratulations: after seven rounds you are in the lead. What are your chances to win the tournament?

NS: I’m in a strong position but winning will require a lot of concentration in the last two games. So far things have been pretty good. My performance has been fantastic. I could not hope for more. I could hope for 100 percent but I’ll take 6.5 points out of seven games any time.

AK: What has been your most interesting game?

GM Hou Yifan Talks about the BCC Open and Her First Visit to Thailand

May 17, 2012July 3, 2019 BCC

Interview by Alexander J. Klemm

Shortly after the 12^th BCC Open, I talked with Women’s World Champion GM Hou Yifan about her performance and impressions during her first-time visit to Thailand.

AK: Let’s talk about the tournament. How did it go for you?

HY: At the beginning I played decently, but then, after half of the tournament the schedule changed from two to one game per day. Somehow that was bad for me. In round six I actually had a lost position [win with white against German FM Martin Voigt], in another game I blundered, and in my last game I also didn’t play well [draw with black against Filipino Sander Severino].

AK: Is there a game that you are very satisfied with?

HY: Maybe the third one [win with black against Iranian GM Shojaat Ghane].

AK: How did you prepare for the tournament and each game?

GM Jan Gustafsson on Bangkok and being Number 2 woman player in the world

April 29, 2012July 3, 2019 BCC

Interview by Alexander J. Klemm

During the 12^th Bangkok Chess Club Open I met up with last year’s champion GM Jan Gustafsson from Germany to talk about chess, his hometown Hamburg, the Bangkok Open, his impressions of Thailand, and much more.

AK: Congratulations, Jan, your German team OSG Baden-Baden has just won the league title. How does that make you feel and what is the success strategy of your club?

JG: Yes, I’ve read the news online. I can’t take much of the credit but it always feels good to win something. In general, having the strongest players is a good start if you want to win the league. Because of the generous sponsoring of Grenkeleasing [a German incorporation], Baden-Baden is in a situation in which we can afford having Anand and Carlson – even though he didn’t play well – and there are more strong players such as Bacrot, Naiditsch, Svidler, Shirov, and others. So I can’t say it’s a big surprise that we have won the title, but it’s still nice. Bremen put up a fight. It was a close match two rounds ago.

AK: Based on your impressive score of 6.5 points out of 8 games in the German league, do you think your club will ask you to play more often, or is the competition within the team simply too high?

GM Nigel Short Triumphs at the 12th Bangkok Chess Club Open 2012

April 19, 2012July 3, 2019 BCC

Alexander J. Klemm

British GM Nigel Short has won the 12^th Bangkok Chess Club Open 2012 by a clear point, with a last-round draw against IM Nguyen Duc Hoa, whose outstanding performance has earned the Vietnamese player a GM norm. From the beginning of the tournament, Short demonstrated his great fighting spirit. Having won the Gibraltar Chess Festival in January, it was apparent that he had come to Bangkok with a high confidence level and the mission to become the sole champion. Mission accomplished! GM Nigel Short has played with passion and expertise in his fourth consecutive BCC Open tournament and has finally won it. While defending champion GM Jan Gustafsson and Women’s World Champion GM Hou Yifan underperformed, other predominantly Asian participants played very well and often surpassed expectations.

Here are the top results of the final round:

Amonatov Clear Blitz Champion

April 19, 2012July 3, 2019 BCC

GM Amonatov faces WFM Zhai Mo of China in the final of the Blitz Championship — GM Amonatov faces WGM Pham Le Thao Nguyen of Vietnam in the final of the Blitz Championship

The final of the annual Bangkok Chess Club Championship was held in our regular Tuesday night blitz venue, Roadhouse Barbecue, which is within walking distance of the Dusit Thani. We took over the entire floor for players and spectators, with a buffet to keep the energy levels up. Clear winner was GM Amonatov, with IM Nguyen Van Huy and Wan Yunguo only half a point behind.

GM Nigel Short Storms into Sole Lead at BCC Open 2012

April 16, 2012July 3, 2019 BCC

Alexander J. Klemm

Top Boards during Round 6 — A barrier is needed so the Grandmasters are not crowded by the onlookers

Yesterday’s invitational dinner in the Library Room of the Dusit Thani Hotel was hosted by tournament sponsor and founder of PYN Fund Management Petri Deryng. On this occasion GM Nigel Short called the Bangkok Chess Club Open the best organised open tournament (for amateur players) that he has ever been to, and GM Jan Gustafsson confirmed that he is only playing two opens this year: Gibraltar and Bangkok!

Among the guests were also Women’s World Champion GM Hou Yifan, Her Excellency Ambassador of Finland to Thailand Sirpa Mäenpää, President of Myanmar Chess Federation Mr. Maung Maung Lwin, as well as several more players and organizers. The discussion topics swayed from chess in Asia to issues about double-rounds, from chess player’s faith to the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. The celebratory mood hit a peak when GM Short started playing chess with filled wine glasses…