Category: Tournaments

News and results for tournaments in Thailand and overseas

Player lists for the 23rd BCC Open

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At the time of publishing, we have 84 players registered for the 23rd BCC Open. It is a truly international tournament as already 33 countries are represented, including from as far afield as Brazil and New Zealand.

So far 11 Grandmasters have confirmed, including the defending champion Evgeny Romanov, and two former champions, Nigel D. Short and Surya Shekhar Ganguly.

We are expecting up to 350 players from 50 different countries to join us in Hua Hin.

Player lists have been published at the chess-results server, and will be updated weekly:

Add your name to the list to join Asia’s best open chess tournament.

Links

23rd Bangkok Chess Club Open 2026

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We are proud to announce the 23rd BCC Open Chess Tournament will be held at the luxurious Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Thailand, April 11-19, 2026. This prestigious event welcomes players of all levels, featuring two categories: Masters (Open) section and Challenger section. The tournament will follow a 9-round Swiss format with a time control of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, 30 minutes added for the rest of the game plus 30 seconds per move.

The 23rd BCC Blitz runs during the tournament, with qualifiers in one evening and a final on the next. There will also be a Thai Chess tournament over two mornings.

Expect fierce competition with Grandmasters, International Masters, and talented players from across the globe, offering opportunities for norm achievements and high-quality games. The scenic Sheraton Hua Hin, nestled along Thailand’s stunning coastline, provides a perfect backdrop for this exciting chess event.

Join us for a week of strategic brilliance, networking, and memorable moments, including a special photo opportunity on the Gulf of Thailand. Full details, including registration, accommodation, and prize information, will be available at bangkokchess.com. Don’t miss your chance to compete in one of Asia’s premier chess tournaments!

Invitation for Japan Open 2025

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The Japan Chess Federation (JCF) invites participation from Grandmasters (GMs), International Masters (IMs), Women Grandmasters (WGMs), and Women International Masters (WIMs), as well as other high-rated players with an active FIDE Standard Rating of above 2000, to participate in the Japan Open 2025. This inaugural event aims to promote quality chess tournaments in Japan with the presence of Grandmasters and International Masters to participate in a 9-round Swiss tournament with a limited field of around 50 players. The tournament will also provide opportunities for local players with opportunities to play high-quality games against reputable, strong players from all over the world, as well as opportunities to earn norms.

Dates/Place/Format

  • Tournament name: Japan Open 2025
  • Dates: 19th-23rd. Sep. 2025
  • Venue: Curian, Tokyo, Japan
  • Format: 9-Round Swiss, 90min+30sec/move
  • Section: Master category (above 2000) and Challenger category (below 2000).

Full details at: https://japanchess.org/en/2025/07/japan–open-2025-2/

Hafiz,Arif Abdul 2343 – Ganguly,Surya Shekhar 2572

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22nd Bangkok Chess Club Open 2025 

Annotated by Paul Raynes

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 The Vienna Game 3…exf4 4.d4 The Steinitz Gambit, often played by first World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz. Steinitz trusted this move enough to play it in a World Championship game against Zukertort in 1886, and won in 19 moves! It went out of fashion around 1900, but was revived by a young Paul Keres in 1933. Very risky, and an excellent choice for a Tiger to catch out a Heffalump ( kid’s word for an Elephant ), as described in Simon Webb’s Chess For Tigers (2002). In this case young Indonesian IM Arif Abdul Hafiz is the Tiger, and top Indian GM Surya Ganguly – six-time Champion of India no less, from 2003-2008 – is the Heffalump he is hoping to lure into a swamp. 4…Qh4+! The best move, forcing the White King out into the open. The resulting positions are mind- blowingly complicated and very counter-intuitive. 5.Ke2 The only move, 5. g3 loses to fxg3 6. Nf3 g2+ 7. Nxh4 gxh1=Q and there are no tricks. 5…d5 A good and natural move which equalises. But “bloody Iron Monsters” as GM Michael Stean once memorably described them, chess computers, now engines in the cloud, say the best move is 5. …b6! which has been known since the 1870 and was first played by Von Minckwitz against Steinitz. 

[ 5…b6! 5. …b6! was played by Heffalump Mickey Adams, when he faced the Tiger IM Andy Martin in London 1992. In that game the trap worked perfectly, as Adams – normally regarded as a consummate positional genius rather than a hacker ! – was lured into a murky swamp, Martin winning the game in 37 moves. . 6.Nb5 Ba6 7.a4 0-0-0 8.Nf3 Qg4! 9.h3 Qg3 10.Qd2 Nf6 11.Qxf4 Nh5 12.Qxf7 Nf6 13.e5 Bxb5+ 14.axb5 Nxd4+ 15.Nxd4 Qxe5+ 16.Kd3 Bc5+= ] 

6.Nf3?! Even more daring ! 6. exd5 Bg4+ 7. Nf3 Nce7 8. Bxf4= leads to less swampy areas. 

[ 6.exd5! Bg4+ 7.Nf3 Nce7! 8.Bxf4= 0-0-0 9.g3 Qh5 10.Bg2 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 Qxd5 12.Kf2 Nf6 13.Re1= ] 

6…Bg4!? Surprisingly, this natural pin is inaccurate. 6… Qe7 ! is correct  

[ 6…Qe7! 7.Bxf4 dxe4 8.Nd5 exf3+ 9.Kf2 Qe4 10.Nxc7+ Kd8 11.Qd2 fxg2 12.Bxg2 Qf5 13.Kg1 Rb8 14.Nd5 Be6 15.Rf1 Qg6 16.Ne3 Ke8 17.d5 Rd8 ] 

7.exd5 0-0-0 Risky. Heffalumps normally steer clear of swamps, but not Ganguly!  

[ 7…Nce7! ] 

8.dxc6± With accurate play, White is slightly better ! But Ganguly must have known this , because he was still playing fast. 8…Nf6?! All played a tempo by Ganguly  

[ 8…Bc5! is the most common move – and has been played xxx times in practice – after which White is hanging on for dear life to his extra material. 9.Qe1!± ] 

9.Qd2? White took a long time over this dubious move, he is presumably out of his prep.  

[ 9.Qd3! was best Re8+ 10.Kd2 Qf2+ 11.Be2 Re3 12.Qc4 Qxg2 13.Rg1 Rxe2+ 14.Qxe2 Qxf3 15.cxb7+ Kb8 16.Qxf3 Bxf3 17.Kd3 – just impossible for a Human Being to navigate ! ]

9…Bc5! 10.Kd1! Well played, it is thematic of this variation to go walkies with the King until a safe haven is found. 10…Rxd4?! Ganguly goes wrong and gives White a chance!  

[ 10…Bxd4-+ 11.Bd3 Rhe8 with a massive attack ] 

11.Bd3+= White’s position is surprisingly resilient now, but he had left himself with only 20 mins for the remaining 29 moves, whereas Black had about 50 minutes 

11…Qh5 12.Rf1 Rhd8 13.Ne2! Well played again.

13…Ra4? Such is the complexity of the position that even the world-class Ganguly has lost the thread.  

[ 13…Bb4! 14.Nxf4! Qa5! 15.c3 Rxf4! 16.Qxf4 Rxd3+ 17.Bd2 Bd6 was best ! ] 

14.Bf5+? A clever but faulty combination.  

[ 14.Nxf4+- wins, eg Qe5 15.h3 Bxf3+ 16.Rxf3 and White has hung on, clinging to his material advantage ] 

14…Qxf5! 15.cxb7+ Kxb7 16.Qxd8 Bd6! Now White’s Queen is cut off from the defence of her King. Even now though, it is still unclear after 16. Bd2. 17.b4?  

[ 17.Bd2! Re4 18.Re1 Qh5 ( 18…Re8 19.Ned4! Rxd8 20.Nxf5 Bxf5= ) 19.Qh8! only a computer could see this move ] 

17…Qd5+!-+ A deadly check.  

[ 17…Rxb4? 18.Bd2 ] 

18.Bd2 Ne4! 19.Ke1 White is pinned every which way and helpless against the threat of the removal of the guard, the knight on f3. 

19…Bxf3 20.Rxf3 Qxd2+ 21.Kf1 Rxa2 22.Re1 Bxb4 0-1