BCC Open round 5: the youngsters draw on board 1, Short, van Wely and Aronyak join them on 4.5/5

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The long awaited blitz qualifiers took place on Tuesday night. Whilst most heavyweights made it through, there were some high profile casualties as IMs Satria Cahaya, Thai star Prin Laohawirapap and Paulo Bersamina failed to finish in the top two spots of their respective groups. The finals will be played tonight, in the form of a 16 player round robin tournament. Rating favourites include GM Visakh from India, his mysterious colleague Timur Gareyev who came to Hua Hin especially for this occasion, and BCC Open co-leader on 4/4, IM Khuong Dau.

The latter met with fellow IM Santosh Ajay on board one of today’s BCC Open fifth round. The only two players still on a maximum score buried the hatchet in grandmasterly fashion after 14 moves. Not an altogether unexpected turn of events considering the standings – and even less so knowing that one of the protagonists inquired beforehand about minimum move requirements prior to draw offers.

On board 3, top seed Loek Van Wely obtained a promising position against 2024 edition winner Bernadskiy in spite of ignoring one of the key commandments of opening play – “Thou shalt develop thy pieces posthaste”.

White’s advantage proved sufficient in the end, as the Ukrainian grandmaster resigned in a lost 3 vs. 1 + Rook endgame.

“There’s some life in the old dog yet.”

Winners on the day also include IM Ghosh Aronyak who defeated GM Zhao, and GM Nigel Short, who dominated IM Ariel Erenberg positionally with the Black pieces. The British legend snatched a stray pawn on h3 and later liquidated into a won pawn finale after a somewhat chaotic middlegame. In the winner’s own words: “There’s some life in the old dog yet.”

[White “Erenberg, Ariel”]
[Black “Short, Nigel D”]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Bg2 Bg7 8.Nf3 O-O 9.O-O a6 10.a4 Nbd7 11.Bf4 Qc7 12.Qc1 Re8 13.Re1 Rb8 14.a5 b5 15.axb6 Rxb6 16.Ra2 Rb4 17.Bh6 Bh8 18.h3 Nb6 19.Nd2 Qe7 20.Bg5 Qf8 21.e4 Nfd7 22.Nf3 Bg7 23.Qc2 Nc4 24.Bf1 Nde5 25.Nxe5 Nxe5 26.Bg2 Bxh3

[diagr.] The apostolic nuncio (Bishop with diplomatic immunity) enters the fray.

27.Rxa6 Bxg2 28.Kxg2 Reb8 29.Nd1 Qc8 30.Rxd6 Qg4 31.Bf4 Nf3 32.Rh1 Nd4 33.Qd3 c4 34.Qe3 Rb3 35.Nc3 Rxb2 36.Rh4 Qc8 37.Bg5 Qe8 38.Bf6 Nf5 39.Qf4 Bxf6 40.Rxf6 Nxh4+ 41.gxh4 R8b3 42.Qg3 Rc2 43.Rf3 Rcxc3 44.Rxc3 Qxe4+ 45.Qf3 Qxf3+ 46.Rxf3 Rxf3 47.Kxf3 h5 48.Ke3 g5 49.hxg5 h4 50.f4 h3 51.d6 Kf8 52.f5 h2 53.d7 Ke7 54.Kd4 0-1

Round 5 Gallery

Credits: www.bangkokchess.com
Games from the top 25 boards: https://lichess.org/broadcast/23rd-bangkok-chess-club-open-2026/mu6Kv85k
Picture database: https://m.piufoto.com/album/9e2ab6d12f3bf3542c9a22e64b6dc012/
Masters section: https://s3.chess-results.com/tnr1334185.aspx?lan=1&art=0&flag=30&SNode=S0&tno=1334185&zeilen=99999
Challenger section: https://s1.chess-results.com/tnr1334184.aspx?lan=1&art=0&flag=30&SNode=S0

BCC Open round 4: an unexpected duo in the lead

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The previous round had left us with ten leaders on a perfect score. As six of them parted amicably, we were left with two decisive results. IM Khuong Duy Dau defeated his colleague Suresh Harsh after the latter dropped an exchange in time trouble after enduring some positional pressure. On board two, GM Ido Gorshtein parted with his fianchettoed Bishop early on, setting the scene for some interesting developments.

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O c5 6. d4 d6 7. dxc5 dxc5 8. Ne5 Nfd7 9. Nd3 Nc6 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. Qc2 Ne5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. Bh6 Re8 14. Nc3 Qd4 15. Na4 Bf5 16. Qc1 Be6 17. b3 [Diagr]

17… Qxa1 18. Qxa1 Bxa1 19. Rxa1 f6 20. Bd2 h5 21. f3 g5 22. Ba5 Kf7 23. Nxc5 Rh8 24. e4 Rag8 25. Re1 g4 26. f4 h4 27. f5 Bc8 28. Bc7 hxg3 29. hxg3 Rh5 30. a4 Rgh8 31. Re2 e6 32. fxe6+ Bxe6 33. Nd3 Rh1+ 34. Kf2 Rb1 35. Nc5 Rh5 36. e5 f5 37. Ke3 Rh3 38. Rd2 Rxg3+ 39. Kf4 Rf3+ 40. Kg5 g3 41. Nxe6 Kxe6 42. Rd6+ Kf7 43. Rd7+ Ke8 44. Rd2 Rbxb3 0-1

With this result, IM Santosh Ajay becomes co-leader with Dau – a duo which in all fairness wasn’t on many bingo cards when we started the round. These two U-18 talents will face one another in the marquis match-up of round 5, with a peloton of players on 3,5/4 including grandmasters Short, Van Wely, Zhao and Ganguly in pursuit.

In the challengers section, WFM Astrid Barbier continued her march on board one with a convincing win over local player Poompat. A veteran of the BCC Open, he candidly admitted to being outplayed in an opening of which he did not quite grasped all the intricacies. Four players share a maximum score of 4 out of 4 – Barrier, Danushka, Adalja and Gutsulyak.

BCC Open round 3: ten leaders emerge as Thai new year celebrations kick off

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At the outset of Round 3 of the BCC Open, only two things appeared certain. For starters, April 13 marks the beginning of a three-day celebration of the Thai New Year, known as Songkran. As with many things in Thailand, Songkran is essentially a matter of personal taste. It can be a religious celebration and a time-honoured way to pay respects to the elders. Or it can be a raucous, 72 hour long water gun showdown, complete with improvised swimming pools and trucks pouring barrels of water over the heads of hapless motorists and passers-by. Your choice.

The other given is that the 112 available spots for the yearly BCC blitz tournament are all but taken, mere hours after registration opening earlier today.

Just as closely contested were the games played on the top boards of this third round. Among the top ten seeds, four players emerged from a wave of draws. GM Ido Gorshtein quickly overcame IM Ritviz in a Rossolimo Sicilian after White opened up the position on move 10, possibly underestimating the long range potential of Black’s as of yet undeveloped pieces. On board 6, IM Aronyak dismantled Dagur Ragnarsson’s position with an exchange sacrifice on e6 while on board 7, GM Visakh capitalised on his positional pressure to force a decision against untitled youngster Adam Bivor. Lastly, second seed Brandon Jacobson defeated IM Dhulipalla in a tricky endgame following some very original opening play:

1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qc4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bf4 Be67. Qe2 Qe7 8. O-O-O O-O-O 9. Nf3 9… h6 10. Nd5 Bxd5 11. exd5 Qxe2 12. Bxe2 Ne713. Bc4 Ng4 14. Rhf1 Ng615. Bd2 N6e5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. Be2 Be7 18. f4 Nd7 19. Bh5 g6 20. Bg4 h5 21. Bxd7+ Kxd7 22. f5 gxf5 23. Rf2 f4 24. Rxf4 Rh7 25. Rf5 Rf8 26. Re1 Rg8 27. Re2 Rhg7 28. g3 Rh7 29. Re4 h4 30. g4 h3 31. Bc3 Bd8 32. Kd2 c6 33. Ke2 Rg5 34. dxc6+ bxc6 35. Rxg5 Bxg5 36. Kf3 f6 37. Be1 c5 38. Ra4 Ke6 39. Bg3 Bc1 40. Re4+ 40… Kd7 41. b4d5 42. Re1 Ba3 43. b5 d4 44. Re4 Rf7 45. Ke2

After long oscillating between equality and a White pull, the position now unravels for Black: [Diagram]

45… f5 46. gxf5 Rxf5 47. Rh4 Rf7 48. Kd3 Rf3+ 49. Ke4 Rc3 50. Rh7+ Ke6 51. Rh6+ Kf7 52. Ra6 Re3+ 53. Kf5 Kg8 54. Bf4 Rf3 55. Ke4 1-0

BCC Open round 2: Grandmasters held to a draw… and an unlikely derby

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The second round of the BCC Open’s Masters tournament started with a slight delay, due to the enhanced security and anti-cheating measures implemented by the organisers. No metallic object, telephone, smartwatch nor, much less so, suspicious transmitting beads made it through to the tournament halls. Even GM Romanov’s trademark thermos bottle was thoroughly checked.

Although not as lopsided as on the initial round, today’s pairings still mostly featured rating gaps of more than 250 points. Many games on the top boards unfolded in similar fashion, with the underdogs holding the favourites through balanced opening and middlegame positions, albeit at the cost of widening deficits on the clock. The late Simon Webb put it best in his classic “Chess for Tigers”: a tiger will stalk its prey for as long as necessary to make sure he doesn’t go hungry.

But every rule has its exceptions, and, as Webb cunningly noted, even rabbits can have surprisingly sharp teeth when cornered. Top seed GM Loek Van Wely was made to labour a pawn down against Nithin Babu before transposing into a drawn 3 vs. 4 + Rook endgame.

Meanwhile, GM Romanov drew from an inferior position against Jianwen Wong after pressing for a win earlier on.

1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.Nf3 e4 5.Nd4 Qb6 6.Nb3 a5 7.d3 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 a4 9.Nd2 exd3 10.O-O O-O 11.exd3 Qa5 12.a3 Bxc3 13.bxc3 d6 14.Rb1 Nbd7 15.Ne4 Nxe4 16.dxe4 Qc7 17.Bf4 Ne5 18.Qd4 c5 19.Qd5 Ra6 20.Rb5 Rc6 21.Rfb1 b6 22.Qd1 Qa7 23.Bc1 Bd7 24.Bf1 Bg4 25.Be2 Bxe2 26.Qxe2 Re8 27.Bf4 Ng6 28.Qd3 Re6 29.f3 Rf6 30.Qd2 h6 31.Kg2 Qc7 32.R5b2 Qd8 33.Kh1 Ne7 34.Kg2 g5 35.Be3 Ng6 36.Qd5 Qc7 37.h3 Re6 38.Qd1 Qa7 39.Qd5 Ne7 40.Qd3 Nc8??

Here the engine gives White a decisive advantage after 41.h4, taking advantage of the lack of coordination between Black’s pieces while creating more weaknesses on the Kingside.

41.Rh1?! Rc7 42.g4 Ne7 43.h4 h5 44.gxh5 g4 45.Rg1 Qb7 46.Kh2 f5 47.exf5 Qxf3 48.Rxg4+ Qxg4 49.Rg2 Qxg2+ 50.Kxg2 Nxf5 51.Qxf5 Rxe3 52.Qd5+ Kh7 53.Kf2 Re5 54.Qd3+ Kh8 55.Qg6 Rce7 56.Qxd6 Rf5+ 57.Kg2 Rg7+ 58.Kh3 Rf3+ 59.Kh2 Rf2+

1/2-1/2

A few hours earlier, the Challengers section witnessed a first in BCC Open history when two Irish players, after braving swarms of drones and related hazards on their way to Hua Hin, squared off today on board 46, in what posterity might remember as Shamrocks at Dawn.

23rd Bangkok Chess Club Open underway in Hua Hin, Thailand

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“Undinal songs urge the sailors on,
Till lured by the sirens’ cry” *

Following a memorable 22nd edition on the bank of the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok last year, the BCC Open set its sails to the Western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Veterans from the 2024 event find themselves on familiar grounds however, as the tournament is again hosted by the Sheraton Resort and Spa in Hua Hin.

With a record 357 players representing 48 countries at the start of round one, it can be said that the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty was less of a deterrent than the earthquake which shook both buildings and resolve a little over a year ago in Thailand. It is especially heartening that many of this year’s participants have shown much resourcefulness in order to get to Hua Hin.

Sixteen GMs lead the field, including previous editions’ winners Loek Van Wely, Nigel Short, Surya Ganguly, Vitaliy Bernadskiy as well as defending champion Evgeny Romanov. Along with the other favourites, they made rather short work of their lower-rated opponents. But with a total of 120 titled players and a median rating above 2050 in the Masters’ group, the old hands’ continued dominance is not a foregone conclusion.

Accessible to all players rated under 2000 Elo, the Challengers group gathers 117 competitors from 34 countries, including thirteen local Thais. Oddly enough, the top two seeds both hail from the unlikely place that is Belgium, while the field also includes a couple of blind ladies as well as a player who fell asleep at the board for twenty minutes – but nevertheless managed to win his game.

*Firth of Fifth – Genesis (the rock band, not the book)