A handful of BCC Open laureates joined with the organisers and a surprise guest at the seaside pool of the Sheraton Hua Hin Resort and Spa for the yearly photoshoot this Thursday.
Under the bright morning sun and the watchful lens of our very wet photographer Kwang Ng, tournament top seed GM Loek Van Wely faced a high profile visitor in the person of Jóhanna Björg, the President of the Icelandic Chess Federation who is currently enjoying a two-week holiday in Thailand. With his trademark frankness, the Dutch GM admitted to being lucky escaping with a draw.
“I was lucky not to get harpooned”
The second duel featured veteran GM Nigel Short and Nina Tuorila, the daughter of the tournament director. His assessment of the game was as sober as it was fitting: “I was lucky not to get harpooned”.
2024 edition winner Vitaliy Bernadskiy then faced Thai leader Prin Laohawirapap under the watchful eye of Van Wely, who then proceeded to challenge current BCC Open champion Evgeny Romanov. The Macedonian GM, probably blinded by the morning sun, almost played an illegal move but avoided further embarrassment by offering a draw.
By that time, Jóhanna Björg had jumped back into the pool to single-handedly challenge a pair of opponents in two-time winner Suriya Ganguly and his daughter.
