21st BCC Open Magazine

21 st Bangkok Chess Club Open

13-21 APRIL 2024

HAND CRAFTED

TROPHIES

Our spectacular trophies were

carved from a single piece of

teak wood by Thai artist

Chonthep Jap-pra-yong.

They are in the form of

traditional Thai chess pieces:

Rhua (Rook), Ma (Knight),

Khon (Elephant), Med (Queen

or General) and Khun (King).

CHESS AT THE BEACH

Welcome to the 21st BCC Open 2024

The long awaited 21st Bangkok Chess Club

Open finally took place in a beautiful resort

near the Royal City of Hua Hin, on the

beach of the Gulf of Thailand.

In all we welcomed 316 players from 41

different countries (see our map on page 4),

many arriving with their family and coaches.

There were five tournaments taking place, a

Blitz tournament, the Challenger tournament,

two Makruk (Thai chess) tournaments, as well as

the main event, the 21st BCC Open.

Indian Invasion

A great surprise was the enormous response

from India, with over a quarter of the competitors

coming from the subcontinent, including

25 titled players and numerous juniors.

In 2018 a twelve-year old Dommaraju

Gukesh competed in the 18th BCC Open; six

years later, he is now a Grandmaster and this

year’s World Championship challenger! Who can

tell how many future grandmasters and even

world champions were at the 21 st BCC Open?

Invaluable Sponsors

These tournaments have been made possible by

the generosity of our sponsors, management and

staff of the Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, and

especially our team of organisers, arbiters and

tournament staff.

With support from FIDE, we were able to

offer prizes to Ladies and Seniors as well as the

twelve top finishers in the Open section and five

from the Challengers. The total prize fund was a

record 580,000 baht.

We were also able to equip the tournament

entirely with brand new chess boards, sets and

clocks, giving us complete independence for the

first time. We plan to increase the number of

DGT online sets so that more of the top games

can be broadcast live over the internet.

BCC Open is gaining popularity

21 st BCC OPEN 1

21 ST BANGKOK

32

42 48

THE MAIN EVENT

227 chess enthusiasts, young and

old, amateur and professional,

competed for the 21st Bangkok

Chess Club Open’s biggest ever

prize fund. With support from

FIDE, there were prizes for the

top five ladies and three seniors, as

well as the top twelve places.

The Open was held in the

magnificent Chandelier Ballroom

of the Sheraton Hua Hin, where

heated emotions were calmed by

the gentle tinkling of whale-shaped

chandeliers overhead. Refreshments,

snacks and light meals were

available outside the playing hall, so

players could maintain energy

levels throughout the gruelling

tournament.

Strong performances by juniors

from China, India and Singapore

meant that grandmasters had to

fight hard to hold their places. Two

of the juniors earned.… P32

CHALLENGER

The Challenger Tournament was

originally conceived as a smaller

event with fewer rounds, aimed at

those with less time to play, and

especially juniors.

It has since grown to be a

worthy tournament in its own

right, now running with the same

number of rounds and time

control as the Open section, only

with a limit on the maximum

rating of 2000 ELO. Unrated

players who are not eligible for the

Open can join the Challenger and

achieve their first FIDE rating.

Despite this rating ceiling, the

strength of the players is considerable,

especially the younger

players who are making life very

difficult for the more experienced

older players.

This year 87 players took part.

There was an especially strong

contingent arriving from… P42

BCC BLITZ OPEN

Fun Games

Every BCC Open is accompanied

by a more fun tournament, the

BCC Blitz Open.

Games are played with only

three minutes on the clock for

each player to complete the entire

game, with a 2-second increment

each move.

In the qualifying rounds 112

people competed in 8 groups of

14, with the top two moving

forward to the final.

The final featured a 16-player

round robin, this year with 14

titled players including 4 grandmasters.

The Champion is GM Timur

Gareyev, holder of the world

record for simultaneous blindfold

games – competing while wearing

a blindfold against 48 opponents at

the same time – in Las Vegas, USA

in 2016.

P48

52

THAI CHESS

The Thai-Chess (Mak Ruk) Association,

presided over by Dr. Palphol Rodloytuk,

organised two Makruk round-robin tournaments

taking place on two mornings during

the Open tournament. This was aimed at

introducing the traditional Thai game to a

wider audience. Grandmaster Timur Gureyev

took part, as well as several players from the

Open section, and even our Chief Arbiter IA

Maung Maung Lwin. Both days were… P52

2 BANGKOK CHESS CLUB

CHESS CLUB OPEN

54 64 72

HOIST THE MAINSAIL

When a stray fishing boat washed

up on shore, we couldn’t resist the

temptation to set up a chess board

and invite the Grandmasters to

brave the waves.

We were joined by Jakub

Mares, F&B Manager at the

Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa,

who arranged a wonderful supply

of refreshments and snacks to ‘sea’

us through that hungry period

between breakfast and lunch.

Our “victims” were 21st BCC

Open Champion Grandmaster

Vitaliy Bernadskiy, 13th BCC Open

Champion GM Zhao Zong-Yuan,

GM Pranesh, WGM Janelle Frayna,

WGM Enkhtuul Altan-Ulzii and IM

Prin Laohawirapap, Thailand’s first

IM – plus a few waifs.

They seemed to be enjoying

themselves!

P54

GIANT JUNIORS

Scary Strength

It is a new era of chess, where

junior players are growing up with

a wealth of online information

readily available, and millions of

games to analyse, as well as access

to coaching that used to be harder

to find.

This changes the way they play

compared to previous generations

– they have immense tactical

ability as well as the ability to

calculate long lines. Where they

lose out is longterm positional

understanding and experience.

It is clear that our older

regulars are losing hard-earned

ELO points to underrated juniors.

The young Indian girl shown

opposite, for instance, gained over

110 rating points in the Blitz Tournament!

P64

FINE DINING

VIP Banquet

At every Bangkok Chess Club

Open, the top grandmasters,

visiting dignitaries and core

organisers are invited by our

generous sponsor PYN for a gastronomic

experience, each course

accompanied by a different fine

wine.

This year we were joined by

our 13th BCC Open Champion

Grandmaster Zhao Zong-Yuan and

his wife, former Deputy Minister

of Commerce Dr. Sansern

Samalapa and visiting dignitaries

from the Hotel and Tourism

Association Hua Hin office. P72

Published by Bangkok Chess Club • www.BangkokChess.com

Editor/designer: Peter Darby

Writers: Frédéric Verheyden, Peter Long, Peter Darby

Photographers: Panupand Vijjuprabha, Peter Long

Additional photography: Christina Tuorila, Nina Tuorila, Sheraton Hua Hin

21 st BCC OPEN 3

AMERICAS

Canada

Puerto Rico

USA

EUROPE

Austria

Belgium

England

France

Germany

Italy

Netherlands

Spain

Ukraine

United Nations

of Chess

Craig Stauffer

USA

Sigudur Ingason

ICELAND

Javier Amores Gago

SPAIN

IM Johannes Mabusela

SOUTH AFRICA


UNITED NATIONS OF CHESS

NORDIC

Denmark

Finland

Iceland

Norway

Sweden

ASIA

China

Hong Kong

Japan

Kazakhstan

Mongolia

Russia

South Korea

Taiwan

MIDDLE EAST

Israel

SOUTH ASIA

Bangladesh

India

Maldives

Sri Lanka

SE ASIA

Cambodia

Indonesia

Malaysia

Myanmar

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

Australia

AFRICA

South Africa

New

Zealand

GM Denis Makhnev

KAZAKHSTAN

Narayan Ganguly Arko

INDIA

Jameson Edrich Kao

HONG KONG

21 st BCC OPEN 5

Wonderful Venues

HOSTING THE BCC OPEN THROUGH THE YEARS.

Tournament Venue Winner

1st BCC Open, 2002 Amari Orchid Resort, Pattaya IM Tejas Bakre (India)

2nd BCC Open, 2003 Novotel Siam Square, Bangkok GM Ruslan Pogorelov (Ukraine)

3rd BCC Open, 2003 Amari Orchid Resort, Pattaya GM Rogelio Antonio (Philippines)

4th BCC Open, 2004 Novotel Siam Square, Bangkok GM Rogelio Antonio (Philippines)

5th BCC Open, 2005 Regent Cha-Am, Petchaburi GM Ian Rogers (Australia)

6th BCC Open, 2006 Century Park Hotel, Bangkok GM Rogelio Antonio (Philippines)

7th BCC Open, 2007 Phuket Graceland Resort, Phuket IM David Smerdon (Australia)

8th BCC Open, 2008 Century Park Hotel, Bangkok Xiu Deshun (China)

9th BCC Open, 2009 Aisawan Resort & Spa, Pattaya Xiu Deshun (China)

10th BCC Open, 2010 Century Park Hotel, Bangkok GM Sune Berg Hansen (Denmark)

11th BCC Open, 2011 Dusit Thani Pattaya GM Jan Gustafsson (Germany)

12th BCC Open, 2012 Dusit Thani Bangkok GM Nigel Short (England)

13th BCC Open, 2013 Dusit Thani Pattaya GM Zhao Zong-Yuan (Australia)

14th BCC Open, 2014 Dusit Thani Bangkok GM Francisco Vallejo Pons (Spain)

15th BCC Open, 2015 Dusit Thani Pattaya GM Nigel Short (England)

16th BCC Open, 2016 Dusit Thani Bangkok GM Ganguly Surya Shekar (India)

17th BCC Open, 2017 Regent Cha-Am, Petchaburi GM Nigel Short (England)

18th BCC Open, 2018 Regent Cha-Am, Petchaburi FM Priasmoro Novendra (Indonesia)

19th BCC Open, 2019 Centara Grand Ladprao, Bangkok GM Jan Gustafsson (Germany)

20th BCC Open, 2022 Shangri-La Chiangmai GM Ganguly Surya Shekar (India)

Shangri-La Chiangmai


THROUGH THE YEARS

Novotel Siam Square

Regent Cha-am Beach Resort

Rooftop at the Dusit Thani Bangkok Dusit Thani Bangkok

Centara Grand Ladprao Dusit Thani Pattaya Century Park Hotel

21 st BCC OPEN 7

PRESS RELEASE


CHESS AT THE BEACH

This week marks the start of Songkran, the

water festival that is the biggest holiday of

the year in Thailand.

It is also when the most popular chess tournament

in Southeast Asia takes place in the

beautiful setting of the Sheraton Hua Hin Resort

& Spa. More than 300 chess enthusiasts, young

and old, are traveling from nearly 50 countries to

test their wits against the Grandmasters that

will be taking part.

“This will be our 21st edition of the Bangkok

Chess Club Open, and it is shaping up to be the

best yet,” notes Kai Tuorila, the Tournament

Director. “After all the difficulties over the past

few years, we are delighted to see so many of

our regulars as well as new visitors coming

together in a spirit of friendship and competition.”

The tournament takes place over nine days,

with all players taking part for the whole tournament.

There is also a short Blitz Tournament

taking place, with games that take only ten

minutes to complete. “The Open is not a

knockout tournament, all participants will have

chances right to the end of the tournament,” Kai

added. “In the Blitz, the Juniors can really

challenge the older players, even the Grandmasters.”

Nicolai Mitchell, General Manager at the

Sheraton explained that this a unique new

experience for them. “We are very popular for

weddings and corporate events, and this new

sporting event should help us reach a wider

audience via the Marriott Bonvoy programme,

particularly as there are over a hundred chess

players coming from India.”

The tournament runs from 13-21 April, and

spectators are welcome – but should note that

no electronic devices including mobile phones

are allowed in the playing hall.

Games from the top boards are broadcast

live at www.chess.com.

21 st BCC OPEN 9

21

BEACH BOYS AND CHANDELIERS


Round one of the 21st edition of the

Bangkok Chess Club Open is underway at

the Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Spa. Thailand.

Hua Hin, while not quite exactly on the same

footing Hua as Hin, the while French not Riviera, quite exactly the Bahamas on the or same

footing other locations as the French popularised Riviera, by the the Bahamas Beach Boys or

other and related locations artists, popularised has become by the a magnet Beach for Boys

and local related tourists artists, and Western has become retirees a magnet alike. for

local The tourists open and Western challenger retirees sections alike. of the

tournament The open are and hosted challenger separately sections in two of the

tournament dazzling ballrooms are hosted boasting separately huge chandeliers, in two

dazzling not dissimilar ballrooms from boasting the Hua huge Hin beach chandeliers, sunrise. not

dissimilar Hyperbolic? from Maybe, the Hua though Hin not beach that sunrise. much if you

Hyperbolic? are, like most Maybe, chess though aficionados, not that used much to playing if you

are, chess like in most taverns, chess school aficionados, cafeterias used or multi-sport to playing

chess halls. But in taverns, we digress. school cafeterias or multi-sport

halls. This But year, we a digress. total of over 300 participants

hailing This from year, close a total to of fifty over different 300 participants countries

hailing have congregated from close to Thailand, fifty different making countries the BCC

have open congregated once more a to staple Thailand, of Asia’s making chess the calendar. BCC

open While once this number more a staple is not of in Asia’s itself a chess record, calendar. what

While is remarkable this number about is the not 2024 in itself edition a record, is the what

is remarkable about the 2024 edition is the

sharp increase in players representing India.

More than a hundred showed up in Hua Hin,

representing the bulk of titled players in attendance.

Good thing is, we are told, this particular

hotel specialises in large Indian weddings.

Although it can be expected that, in this

particular instance, most participants will have

slightly different mating patterns on their minds.

As a fairly uneventful first round unfolds, one

is tempted to reflect on the event’s longevity and

consistency, over a period of 23 years only

briefly interrupted by the Covid pandemic. Or

receive an initiation to the local variant of chess,

which is endemic to Thailand and Cambodia,

courtesy of the ???Or Thai-Chess get ready (Mak for Ruk) happy Association.

by the Or pool get bar. ready Take for your happy pick, hour and by join the us pool at this

hour

bar. year’s Take Bangkok your pick, chess and club join open. us at this year’s

Bangkok Or if you chess can’t, club do open. check out the games from

the Or top if boards you can’t, on do chess.com. check out the games from

the top boards on chess.com.


PRESS RELEASE: ROUND 1

21 st BCC OPEN 11



21

BCC OPEN GATHERING STEAM

CHESS AT THE BEACH

Round This week number marks two the saw start the of Bangkok Songkran, Chess the

water Club Open festival rapidly that is gather biggest steam. holiday After an of

the initial year day in in Thailand. which most of the favourites

emerged It is also unscathed, when the the most first popular skirmishes chess between tournament

players in Southeast took place Asia this takes Sunday. place in the

titled

beautiful Notable setting performances of the Sheraton the Hua top Hin boards Resort

include & Spa. More the Indian than 300 junior chess Ajay enthusiasts, Santosh holding young

GM and old, Samant are Aditya traveling to from a draw nearly on Board 50 countries 5 to

test Elsewhere, their wits the against only the two Grandmasters French players that in the will

Open be taking section part. - one a real estate tycoon, the

other “This a software will be our wizard 21st - edition were pitted of the against Bangkok

each Chess other Club in Open, a battle and that it is started shaping like up to fierce be the

duel best yet,” worthy notes of Alexandre Kai Tuorila, Dumas the Tournament himself, but

concluded Director. “After as peacefully all the difficulties as an Armistice over the Day past

commemoration few years, we are atop delighted the Maginot to see so line. many of

our regulars as well as new visitors coming

together in a spirit of friendship and competition.”

The tournament takes place over nine days,

with all players taking part for the whole tournament.

There is also a short Blitz Tournament

taking On place, a nearby with board, games the that battle take of only the ten

organisers minutes to lived complete. up to “The its billings, Open with is not BCC a tournament

knockout director tournament, Kai Tuorila all participants trying to overcome will have

the chances stubborn right resistance to the end of Blue the tournament,” Chevaliers Kai

Chess added. Tournament “In the Blitz, mastermind the Juniors can Peter really Frost, but

ultimately challenge the conceding older players, a hard-fought even the draw. Grandmasters.”

In other news, the celebrations surrounding

the Nicolai Thai New Mitchell, Year or General Songkran Manager are in at full the swing,

meaning Sheraton that explained even those that this players a unique who were new able

to experience keep their for calculations them. “We watertight are very popular over the for

weekend weddings may and corporate not be as lucky events, if they and this venture new out

to sporting town over event the should coming help days. us reach a wider

audience As for via those the who Marriott prefer Bonvoy to stay programme, indoors,

don’t particularly forget as to there avail yourself are over of a hundred the games chess at

chess.com. players coming from India.”

The tournament runs from 13-21 April, and

spectators are welcome – but should note that

no electronic devices including mobile phones

are allowed in the playing hall.

Games from the top boards are broadcast

live at www.chess.com.

21 st BCC OPEN 13

23


HIGH GOALS AND FOND MEMORIES

Round one three of of the the 21st Bangkok edition Chess of the Club

Bangkok Open witnessed Chess Club several Open closely is underway contested, at

the heavyweight Sheraton encounters, Hua Hin Resort as the & Elo Spa, gap Thailand.

between opponents continued to shrink.

Hua The round Hin, while was not brutal, quite with exactly upsets on on the Board same

footing 3 with Subhayan as the French Kundu Riviera, defeating the Bahamas Chinese GM or

other Peng Xiongjian, locations and popularised Board 5 by with the FM Beach Manon Boys

and overcoming related artists, GM Lalit. has Only become two a Grandmasters

magnet for

local retain tourists their places and Western in the top retirees 15 for alike. Round 4.

The Games open from and the challenger top 10 boards sections are of available the

tournament at chess.com/events/2024-bangkok-chess-open are hosted separately in two .

dazzling Yesterday, ballrooms a twelve boasting year old huge boy chandeliers, defeated an not

dissimilar International from Master. the Hua (Add Hin video beach link sunrise. maybe),

Hyperbolic? after which he Maybe, shared though in his not dream that of much becoming if you

are, like most chess aficionados, used to playing

chess in taverns, school cafeterias or multi-sport

halls. But we digress.

This year, a total of over 300 participants

hailing from close to fifty different countries

have congregated to Thailand, making the BCC

open once more a staple of Asia’s chess calendar.

While this number is not in itself a record, what


sharp World increase Champion in players someday. representing This conjures India. up

More memories than of a hundred a juvenile showed Gukesh up overjoyed in Hua Hin, upon

representing defeating 3-time the BCC bulk of champion titled players Nigel in Short attendance.

here in Thailand a few years ago.

Good Why Gukesh thing is, and we fellow are told, former this particular BCC

hotel contestants specialises Praggnanandhaa in large Indian and weddings. his sister

Although Vaishali elected it can to be travel expected to Toronto’s that, in this unending

particular winter instead instance, of this most tropical participants paradise will of have Hua

slightly Hin, we different may never mating know patterns (but then on again, their we minds.

might). As a fairly uneventful first round unfolds, one

is tempted All the same, to reflect don’t on conclude the event’s that longevity there are and

consistency, no superstars over at the a period BCC Open of 23 years this year. only We

briefly guarantee interrupted you will find by the some Covid hidden pandemic. gems here. Or

receive Just give an initiation it a few years. to the local variant of chess,

which is endemic to Thailand and Cambodia,

courtesy of the ???Or get ready for happy hour

by the pool bar. Take your pick, and join us at this

year’s Bangkok chess club open.

Or if you can’t, do check out the games from

the top boards on chess.com.


PRESS RELEASE: PRESS ROUND RELEASE3

21 st BCC OPEN 15



4

THE YOUNG AND THE OLD*

Round number four got underway 2 1/2

hours early in Hua Hin this Tuesday, so as

not to interfere with the all-important

blitz tournament scheduled in the same evening.

All top games are, as always, available at chess.

com/events/2024-bangkok-chess-open.

One third of this 21st Bangkok Chess Club

Open is now behind us, and a few trends are

beginning to emerge. Thirteen players remain

with the maximum score, of which almost half

are under 18 years old. As a fellow pundit

astutely observed the other night, something

definitely happened during those Covid years.

Kids used to play quickly and leave pieces

hanging. Nowadays they eat IMs for breakfast,

lunch and dinner.

At a cautious distance from the tournament

leaders we find the first two Thai players, who

could hardly be more different from one

another.

Young Prin Laohawirapap is the reigning Thai

champion as well as the first Thai national to

hold the title of International Master. He

combines his schooling with an intensive study

of chess, whipping up a chess book or checking

out online resources at every opportunity. Aided

by professional coaching and steadfast support

from his family, he appears well on his way to

become Thailand’s first ever GM.

FM Wisuwat Teerapabpaisit, on the other

hand, is the quintessential Renaissance man, if

such a thing may apply to the world of chess. His

areas of interest range from numerous chess-like

games in addition to go, backgammon and more,

all of which he practices at a competitive level.

He is also one of the few active players who

remain from the early days of the Bangkok chess

club, some 25 years ago.

Back then, Thailand’s team for the Olympiads

were essentially drawn from the elite echelon of

the local Makruk (Thai chess) league. Most of

them were also regulars at the BCC’s blitz tournaments,

while some foreign residents returned

the favour by taking part in the national championship

on a few occasions. Chess, back then,

was a different kind of game. A post-mortem

analysis wasn’t all about asking Stockfish. It was,

instead, a social affair typically involving (around

the Din Daeng suburb at least) much revelry

around a chess board and, more often than not,

lots of cigarette smoke as well as a half-empty

bottle of Mekong whisky.

Now. How cool was that, kids?

*With apologies to the great English band Madness

for the misappropriation of their song’s title.

21 st BCC OPEN 17

5

BLISS, JUST LIKE THE DEVIL,

IS IN THE DETAILS.

Running a tournament like the Bangkok

Chess Club Open successfully is, first and

foremost, about getting all sorts of details

right. A comfortable playing venue with ample

space for every board is a trademark of the

event.

As are the quirky photo opportunities staged

by the organisers year after year. Former world

championship contender Nigel Short playing

chess with both feet deep in seawater while

wearing formal attire. Grandmasters Gustafsson

and Vallejo dressed up as traditional Thai boxers.

Chess on a fishing boat, under a waterfall or on

a rooftop. Or with an elephant handling the

pieces.

Speaking of important details, the Challenger

section is run just as smoothly and professionally

as the main event. With a similar level of

comfort, too. The row with the top boards is an

exact replica of the one in the open section,

giving those players the same feeling one would

experience while facing a seasoned master.

Just like elsewhere, many of the rating

favourites had a tricky first half of the tournament

as the youngsters take over. One may

expect many of those to join the ranks of the

Open group next year, many of them from wellestablished

chess powers like the Philippines and

India, but, perhaps more surprisingly, also

Kazakhstan.

Interviewed by the BCC press team for the

occasion, all three Challengers tournament

referees collectively described the event as

uneventful, which is probably just how they want

it to unfold.

Yesterday’s blitz tournament qualifiers were

equally impressive in their organisational

efficiency, with eight groups of fourteen players

facing off in a round robin – a system that gives

any rank amateur the opportunity to play against

several top class opponents. All complete with a

designated referee, ensuring that the pairings are

communicated quickly and accurately. Considering

the quality of play observed last night, the

blitz finals which will take place this Wednesday

promise to be quite spectacular.

As we reach the main tournament’s halfway

mark, the number of co-leaders has dwindled to

just four, including Vietnamese aces Trang Gia

Phuc Pham and Nho Kiet Dinh as well as

Chinese underdog Qingfeng Cao, who stands to

gain more than a hundred rating points in just

four games: chess.com/events/2024-bangkokchess-open.

They, too, would certainly agree that good

chess is all about little details.



21 st BCC OPEN 19



6

SHERATON HUA HIN PUSH THE BOAT OUT

Hoist the sail, matey! Drinks, logo’s, adventures

at sea and even a drone: the

Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa spared no

expense in making this year’s photo shoot memorable.

The hotel management and even the provincial

governor were there to witness a mock

chess match at sea, contested in a traditional

fishing vessel.

A large Bangkok Chess Club Open logo was

affixed to the boat’s mast amidst a strong breeze,

which would have sent its passengers all the way

to Pattaya had the wind direction turned east.

We are however pleased to report that the

participating grandmasters were not waylaid by

the elements, and reported well on time for

today’s round.

Food & Beverage Manager Mr. Jakub Mares

indicated that, although his hotel tends to

specialise in conventions and weddings, sporting

events such as the Bangkok Chess Club Open

bring additional visibility.

He then stated that the

Sheraton would soon

host an important boxing event and shared his

hope for further cooperation with the Bangkok

chess club.

It is, therefore, this author’s firm belief that all

stars are properly aligned for Hua Hin to

become an international chess-boxing hub in the

near future.

The blitz finals last night were a feisty affair,

with Timur Gareyev edging out M. Pranesh on

tie-break to take first place. Amidst pieces flying

in all four corners of the board, the perennial

question came back to mind: is chess sport, art

or science? It would, at this stage, appear that

the modern chess player is something of a

hybrid between a quantum physicist and a rat

catcher. In blitz especially.

Meanwhile, the Open tournament is entering

its sixth round, with games available here: chess.

com/events/2024-bangkok-chess-open. Information

regarding the prize fund has been released,

which means that the

money time is right

around the corner.

21 st BCC OPEN 21

7

OF GM NORMS, CURSES AND THAI CHESS

Some are in it for the holidays, others for the

money and to boost their rating. And then a

few leave the Bangkok Chess Club Open

tournament with a much-coveted International

Master or Grandmaster norm.

The latter must be on the mind of Chinese

junior Cao Qingfeng. With a score of 5.5/6 and a

performance towering above 2700, solid play is

all he needs over the remaining three games in

order to cap his first participation in the BCC

Open with a spectacular first grandmaster norm.

Not too shabby for a 16 year old who entered

the tournament seeded 96th with a rating just

over 2000.

Facing Australian GM Zhao with the black

pieces is not likely to be a mere formality,

though. The other two co-leaders met on the

adjoining table, with the game between

IM Karazayev from Kazakhstan and top seed

Ukrainian GM Bernadskiy petering out into one

of the quickest draws of the round (chess.com/

events/2024-bangkok-chess-open).

Meanwhile, battle rages in the Challenger

section of the tournament, where we are being

told that the top board is afflicted with a strange

kind of curse. Indeed, it would appear that no

one manages to stay there longer than a day

before diving back into the depths of the

pairings. Good thing chess players aren’t superstitious.

And then all lights went out in both playing

halls for a good ten minutes, following some

unexplained power cut. Last time we mess

around with the spirits in Hua Hin, promise. You

don’t want that again in the middle of time

pressure now, do you?

Earlier today, the indefatigable instructors of

the Makruk Association organised a Thai chess

tournament in which 11 players took part,

including BCC Open chief arbiter Maung Maung

Lwin as well as several titled players. Jan

Emmanuel Garcia emerged first, ahead of his

fellow IM and compatriot Paulo Bersamina.

A similar event is scheduled this Saturday

morning so there is still an opportunity to ‘go

native’, should you so wish.



21 st BCC OPEN 23



8

THE LONGEST DAY

The Bangkok Chess Club Open entered its

final stretch this Saturday, with what proved

to be an intense afternoon. The thing is,

many chess masters are late sleepers, and

therefore reluctant to pin all their hopes on a

decisive result at a Sunday morning game that

begins at the ungodly hour of 9:00am. Much

better to score big today and make do with a

draw tomorrow, if at all possible. Much better

for one’s sleep quality, too.

This appears to having been the approach of

top seed Bernadskiy, who defeated his

GM colleague Zhao on board one following a

fine positional display to bag a crucial 7th point.

Other important wins were scored on

boards 2 and 4 with the white pieces by GMs

Mitrabha and Makhnev respectively. GM norm

hopeful Cao suffered a second successive defeat

at the hands of Australian IM Morris, who had

the looser shirt but the more compact position.

The first and second prizes for competitors

playing under the Thai flag have been all but

awarded today, with co-leaders Wisuwat and

Prin facing each other at board 31 in a dynamic

Open Sicilian. The young IM outlasted his veteran

teammate with the black pieces with a string of

sacrifices culminating in unusual material and

positional imbalances.

Meanwhile, uncertainty surrounds the overall

ranking. Three leaders on 6/7 and no less than

fifteen pursuers on 5.5 before the start of the

round remain in the scrap for the first prize of

100.000 baht.

As the whale-shaped glass chandeliers of the

Open tournament hall were chiming

delicately, a tsunami overran board 10

when a glass of water was spilled accidentally,

interrupting the live transmission.

Play resumed shortly after on the other

side of the hall, with both contestants

safe and dry, including FM Sek.

Games, hence with the exception

of this particular one, are available at

chess.com.

21 st BCC OPEN 25

9

FINAL ROUND – ALL GOOD THINGS…

The 21st edition of the Bangkok Chess Club

Open has concluded with the victory of

the top seed, Ukrainian Grandmaster Vitaliy

Bernadskiy, who capped his stay in Hua Hin with

a solid performance featuring six wins and three

draws.

He is joined on 7,5/9 by fellow GM Mitrabha,

who successfully repelled

a vicious, if unsound, attack from young

FM Manon. The player from Bangladesh will find

solace knowing that his fine performance is

crowned by an IM norm as well as the top spot

in the junior category. Another IM norm goes to

untitled Chinese player Cao, who lost steam in

the final three rounds after an astounding initial

week, which saw him fight consistently on the

top boards.

With 5.5/9, James Constance of the UK and

Guy West from Australia top the ranking of the

Senior category, while the Ladies’ awards are

split in a three-way tie between Eesha Karavade,

Pattnaik Sherali (both from India) and Mongolian

GM Altman-Ulzii Enkhtuul.

The Challenger tournament was won

outright by Lorenzo Cantela with 7,5/9 ahead of

a quartet on 7 points. Of note is the fact that

five of the top six finishers hail from the Philippines.

This concludes our coverage of this year’s

Bangkok Chess Club Open Tournament at the

Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa. We hope to see

you all in Thailand at our next event.

Bye for now!

Games from top boards: chess.com/events/2024-

bangkok-chess-open



21 st BCC OPEN 27

2


A Big Thank You to our Generous Sponsors

PYN Fund Management Ltd.

PYN is an independent, management-owned Finnish fund manager.

Our goal is to offer investors our unique investment expertise.

Our investment activities are supported by PYN Asia Research, which

provides research and analysis services to PYN Fund Management in

Thailand and Vietnam.

Website: www.pyn.fi

Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa

Carved within the beach crescent of the Gulf of Siam, Sheraton Hua

Hin Resort and Spa transforms an ordinary Cha-Am vacation in Thailand

into an extraordinary one.

Website: www.Marriott.com

The International Chess Federation

FIDE is the governing body of the sport of chess, and it regulates all

international chess competitions. Constituted as a non-governmental

institution, it was recognised by the International Olympic Committee

as a Global Sporting Organisation in 1999.

In 2024, FIDE celebrates its centenary anniversary.

Round one of the 21st edition of the sharp increase in players representing India.

Bangkok Chess Website: Club www.fide.com

Open is underway at More than a hundred showed up in Hua Hin,

the Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Thailandance.

representing the bulk of titled players in attend-

Hua Hin, while Mak not Ruk quite Thai exactly on the same Good thing is, we are told, this particular

footing as the French Dr. Palphol Riviera, Rodloytuk, the Bahamas President or of hotel Thai-Chess specialises (Mak in Ruk) large Association, Indian weddings.

other locations popularised sponsored by a Makruk the Beach round-robin Boys tournament Although it which can be took expected place that, on in this

and related artists, two has mornings become a during magnet the for Open tournament. particular instance, most participants will have

local tourists and Western This was retirees aimed alike. at introducing the slightly traditional different Thai mating game patterns to a wider on their minds.

The open and audience. challenger sections of the As a fairly uneventful first round unfolds, one

tournament are hosted separately in two is tempted to reflect on the event’s longevity and

dazzling ballrooms boasting huge chandeliers, not consistency, over a period of 23 years only

dissimilar from the Hua Hin beach sunrise. briefly interrupted by the Covid pandemic. Or

Hyperbolic? Maybe, Thailand though Chess not that Association much if you receive an initiation to the local variant of chess,

are, like most chess TCA aficionados, is the international used to playing chess sport which association is endemic under to Thailand the Sport and Cambodia,

chess in taverns, school Authority cafeterias of Thailand, or multi-sport presided over courtesy by IO Sahapol of the ???Or Nakvanich. get ready for happy hour

halls. But we digress.

by the pool bar. Take your pick, and join us at this

This year, a total Website: of over www.thailandchess.or.th

300 participants year’s Bangkok chess club open.

hailing from close to fifty different countries Or if you can’t, do check out the games from

have congregated to Thailand, making the BCC the top boards on chess.com.

open once more a staple of Asia’s chess calendar.

While this number is not in itself a record, what


JPT Sport

Chiangmai based clothing manufacturer JPT Sport has made all polo

and T-shirts for the Bangkok Chess Club and BCC Open Chess

Championships

Facebook: jipata


SPONSORS

21 st BCC OPEN 29

SECURITY MEASURES AND REFRESHMENTS

It is an unfortunate necessity to ensure fair

play for all competitors at today’s chess tournaments,

and this means ensuring no

electronic devices are brought into the playing

hall. We scanned everyone entering the playing

area and are pleased to note that there has been

nothing untoward during the tournament.

The large and welcoming lobby area ran in

front of both Challenger and Open playing halls

as well as the Tournament Office and the

Analysis Room. It contained the Registration

Desk, merchandise shop and information point,

and the Sheraton set up a cash bar with light

meals and refreshments at very reasonable

prices.

The Resort also made extraordinary chocolates

in the shape of chess pieces as an arrival gift

in all the guest rooms.


THE LOBBY

21 st BCC OPEN 31


THE MAIN EVENT

227

chess enthusiasts, young and old,

amateur and professional, competed

for the 21st Bangkok

Chess Club Open’s biggest ever prize fund. With

support from FIDE, there were prizes for the

top five ladies and three seniors, as well as the

top twelve places.

The Open was held in the magnificent Chandelier

Ballroom of the Sheraton Hua Hin,

where heated emotions were calmed by the

gentle tinkling of whale-shaped chandeliers

overhead. Refreshments, snacks and light

meals were available outside the playing

hall, so players could maintain energy

levels throughout the gruelling tournament.

In order to increase the likelihood

of title norms, for the first time

unrated players were not eligible for

the open section, and were instead

encouraged – along with players rated below

1800 ELO – to enter the Challenger group.

Strong performances by juniors from China,

India and Singapore meant that grandmasters had

to fight hard to hold their places. Two of the

juniors earned IM norms and one gained an

extraordinary 185 ELO rating points.

In the end, experience and stamina prevailed

over the energy and enthusiasm of youth, and

Grandmaster Vitaliy Bernadskiy of the

Ukraine won the tournament on tiebreak

ahead of one of the Indian GMs

Mitrabha Guha, both with 7.5 points.

They shared the first and second

prizes, taking home 90,000 baht each.

There were four players on 7

points, Grandmaster Denis Makhnev of

Kazakhstan, IM Srihari and GM Das

Sayantan of India, and Australian International

Master James Morris.

21 st BCC OPEN 33

THE MAIN EVENT


21 st BCC OPEN 35


THE MAIN EVENT

21 st BCC OPEN 37

Open Tournament Final Standings (1)

Rk Name FED Rtg Pts Rk Name FED Rtg Pts

1 GM Bernadskiy Vitaliy UKR 2561 7½

2 GM Mitrabha Guha IND 2537 7½

3 GM Makhnev Denis KAZ 2516 7

4 IM Srihari L R IND 2482 7

5 GM Das Sayantan IND 2507 7

6 IM Morris James AUS 2432 7

7 FM Manon Reja Neer BAN 2285 6½

8 IM Urazayev Arystanbek KAZ 2471 6½

9 GM Zhao Zong-Yuan AUS 2485 6½

10 GM Pranesh M IND 2538 6½

11 FM Pham Tran Gia Phuc VIE 2423 6½

12 FM Chernyavsky Alexander FID 2354 6½

13 IM Ritviz Parab IND 2346 6½

14 GM Lalit Babu M R IND 2508 6½

15 GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J. IND 2428 6½

16 GM Sengupta Deep IND 2500 6½

17 IM Quizon Daniel PHI 2441 6½

18 IM Bersamina Paulo PHI 2424 6½

19 GM Peng Xiongjian CHN 2521 6½

20 IM Hari Madhavan N B IND 2395 6½

21 IM Panda Sambit IND 2378 6½

22 FM Harsh Suresh IND 2413 6

23 GM Samant Aditya S IND 2512 6

24 FM Danilenko Dmitriy UKR 2400 6

25 CM Dinh Nho Kiet VIE 2245 6

26 IM Concio Michael Jr. PHI 2399 6

27 IM Arfan Aditya Bagus INA 2407 6

28 IM Nie Xinyang CHN 2433 6

29 FM Winkelman Albert AUS 2199 6

30 Kao Jamison Edrich HKG 2059 6

31 CM Cu Ivan Travis PHI 2069 6

32 Otsuka Shou JPN 2138 6

33 FM Lye Lik Zang MAS 2286 6

34 CM Rajarishi Karthi IND 2213 6

35 Kumar Gaurav IND 2083 6

36 IM Laohawirapap Prin THA 2388 6

37 IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete IND 2404 6

38 Cao Qingfeng CHN 2038 5½

39 Dong Hongfu CHN 1882 5½

40 FM Banh Gia Huy VIE 2400 5½

41 FM Arca Christian Gian K PHI 2283 5½

42 Majumder Shrayan IND 2070 5½

43 FM Bacojo Mark Jay PHI 2346 5½

44 Shahar Uzair MAS 2035 5½

45 Sek Konstantin FID 2397 5½

46 IM Karavade Eesha IND 2265 5½

47 Ajay Santhosh P IND 2170 5½

48 Pavan Karthikeya V G IND 1831 5½

49 FM Baba Masahiro JPN 2174 5½

50 Lundberg Bjorn SWE 2206 5½

51 FM Wagh Suyog IND 2250 5½

52 IM Abu Sufian Shakil BAN 2206 5½

53 CM Nagare Kaivalya Sandip IND 2074 5½

54 FM Tobing Daniel H L INA 2098 5½

55 Sherali Pattnaik IND 1776 5½

56 CM Kamalsyah Muhammad INA 2177 5½

57 Nagare Akhilesh IND 2082 5½

58 WGM Enkhtuul Altan-Ulzii MGL 2233 5½

59 Patil Harshal IND 2094 5½

60 Chinmay Kowshik IND 1800 5½

61 Constance James ENG 2193 5½

62 Wang Zijian CHN 2121 5½

63 Zhang Lanlin CHN 2259 5½

64 Raihaan Zahid IND 1901 5½

65 IM West Guy AUS 2302 5½

66 FM Xie Felix NZL 2291 5

67 FM Ayush Sharma IND 2311 5

68 Pranay Akula IND 1816 5

69 Anustoop Biswas IND 2284 5

70 IM Cannon David AUS 2195 5

71 Cantela Oscar Joseph PHI 2009 5

72 Nagataki Kota JPN 1980 5

73 IM Garcia Jan Emmanuel PHI 2408 5

74 WGM Frayna Janelle Mae PHI 2190 5

75 Binu Devdutt IND 1938 5

76 IM Mabusela Johannes M RSA 2176 5

77 FM Ko Ko Ohn MYA 2107 5

78 IM Andyka Pitra INA 2066 5

79 IM Amilal Munkhdalai MGL 2391 5

80 Drummond Matthew AUS 2194 5

81 FM Rahman Md. Taibur BAN 2166 5

82 WFM Mejia Cherry Ann PHI 1941 5

83 Duong Vu Anh VIE 2039 5

84 FM Teerapabpaisit Wisuwat THA 2053 5

85 Swarna Nihal IND 2003 5

86 Teo Hong Ming SGP 2132 5

87 Kavin Vijayakumar IND 1966 5

88 Canino Ruelle PHI 2051 5

89 Velarde Jerish John PHI 1930 5

90 Dinesh Rajan M IND 1948 5

91 Suman Saideep IND 1687 5

92 WIM Mordido Kylen Joy PHI 1988 5

93 Yun Hungi KOR 2009 5

94 Subhayan Kundu IND 2341 4½

95 WIM Mrudul Dehankar IND 1981 4½

96 Jagreet Misra IND 1903 4½

97 IM Badmatsyrenov Oleg FID 2410 4½

98 CM Vivaan Vishal Shah IND 2076 4½

99 WCM Arshiya Das IND 1792 4½

100 Amores Gago Javier ESP 2141 4½

101 Shen Zhiyuan AUS 1963 4½

102 Stauffer Craig A USA 2034 4½

103 Bivor Adak IND 1898 4½

104 Skiotis Pano AUS 2054 4½

105 CM Khazhatuly Alikhan KAZ 1990 4½

106 Sanjay Vasu SGP 1785 4½

107 Mathan Priyaen MAS 1706 4½

108 WIM Galas Bernadette PHI 1973 4½

109 Sunny Bedi IND 1866 4½

110 WFM Mendoza Shania Mae PHI 2008 4½

111 WIM San Diego Marie A PHI 2007 4½

112 WFM Elisabeth Christine INA 1907 4½

113 Sidabutar Uriel Noah Oloan INA 2090 4½

114 WFM Doroy Allanney Jia PHI 1939 4½

115 Krishay Jain IND 1828 4½

116 Aarav Sarbalia IND 2072 4½

117 FM Thompson Ian D ENG 2009 4½

118 Vaidyanathan Kannan USA 1761 4½

119 Adharsh K IND 1852 4½

120 Sreekarthika Velmurugan SGP 1787 4½


THE MAIN EVENT

21 st BCC OPEN 39

Open Tournament Final Standings (2)


121 Dolas Aarush IND 1716 4½

122 Than Min Hlaing MYA 2168 4½

123 Vihaan Karthikeya N IND 1839 4½

124 Ilmoni Tommy FIN 1990 4½

125 Lee Tsuen Jin Aiesec SGP 1603 4½

126 Attwood James AUS 1926 4½

127 Reyan Md. IND 1914 4

128 FM Muhammed Shuaau MDV 2060 4

129 Sri Akhil Prasad IND 1801 4

130 FM Nayem Haque BAN 2115 4

131 Jain Kushagra IND 1942 4

132 Nambiar Vivek IND 1911 4

133 Miller James ENG 1977 4

134 Hong Ian KOR 1862 4

135 Poorna Sri M.K IND 1887 4

136 Babak Yulia FID 1932 4

137 Shanmathi Sree S IND 1801 4

138 Siddharth Sai SGP 1864 4

139 Armenta Enrica PHI 1880 4

140 Dakshita Kumawat IND 1854 4

141 Siddharth Gopakumar ENG 1956 4

142 Rishabh Kumar IND 1761 4

143 Tanish Ragavan S IND 1798 4

144 Prakash Vaishnavi IND 1625 4

145 Soumyajit Das IND 1776 4

146 Gnanasekar Jai Adithya SGP 1859 4

147 Umer S.M IND 1840 4

148 Nodon Jeremi JPN 1860 4

149 Sebastian Mhage G PHI 1842 4

150 Haresh Venkata N SGP 1754 4

151 CM Davis Tony J AUS 1900 4

152 Wismeijer Jeroen NED 1873 4

153 Yohan Yadav Tarala IND 1746 4

154 Jingjang Shin THA 1889 4

155 Shen Ree Yang MAS 1734 4

156 WIM Chandreyee Hajra IND 1923 3½

157 Ravi Krishna G IND 1869 3½

158 Mummana Venkata Ruthvik IND 1868 3½

159 WFM Park Sunwoo KOR 1852 3½

160 Aarav A IND 1886 3½

161 Andes Franklin Loyd PHI 1926 3½

162 Bae Sungwoo KOR 1810 3½

163 Wang Lachlan AUS 1863 3½

164 Rajesh Vasanthakumar IND 1908 3½

165 Tobin Paul Nicholas SGP 1590 3½

166 Wang Justin Zhide NZL 1698 3½

167 Vedant Yogesh Kale IND 1635 3½

168 Lim Xiao Xian Tobias SGP 1799 3½

169 Macaspac Arthur USA 1981 3½

170 Frost Peter AUS 1785 3½

171 Laurain Dominique FRA 1897 3½

172 Wettasinha Vasanta SRI 1645 3½

173 Tuorila Kai THA 1928 3½

174 CM Kim Changhoon KOR 1902 3½

175 Watharow Sean AUS 1917 3½

176 Nizzardo Mattia ITA 1821 3½

177 Sajjapornthep Jarunpol THA 1863 3½

178 Tashriq Saihan Shan BAN 1926 3½

179 Kim Taewoo A KOR 1792 3½

180 Savige Colin B AUS 1843 3½

181 Hoffman Ron NED 2027 3

182 WIM Arpita Mukherjee IND 2221 3

183 Aura Daniel FIN 1905 3

184 Tobor Mick GER 1952 3

185 FM Visweswaran K. IND 2202 3

186 WFM Lukina Aleksandra FID 1939 3

187 Atrinjay Saha IND 1771 3

188 Shen Ree Herng MAS 1956 3

189 Aura Kristian FIN 1933 3

190 Siddhant Bharti IND 1558 3

191 Deng Haoyou CHN 1803 3

192 Mithun Pranav IND 1567 3

193 Lee Donghyun C KOR 1584 3

194 Vinesh Venkata N SGP 1608 3

195 Kerr Grant NZL 1813 3

196 FM LIM Zhuo Ren MAS 2248 2½

197 Dhanesh Venkata N SGP 1696 2½

198 Holmes Adam A USA 1912 2½

199 Ingason Sigurdur ISL 1832 2½

200 Kondrak Christoph AUT 2011 2½

201 Rolston Daniel Haruma JPN 1791 2½

202 Rohland Michael Karl CAN 1915 2½

203 Jiroajvanichakorn Rathasart THA 1697 2½

204 Pearce Tim AUS 1758 2½

205 Krishtopov Konstantin FID 1734 2½

206 Jeeradit Metha THA 1584 2½

207 Shaffer Alexander PUR 1752 2½

208 Kyaw Zay Ya MYA 2029 2½

209 Lozano Arvie PHI 1966 2

210 FM Saragih Arif Rahman INA 2245 2

211 Haraldsson Oskar ISL 1815 2

212 Karasmaki Seppo FIN 1774 2

213 Noel Nicolas FRA 1695 2

214 Quek Zi Le Aleenta SGP 1589 2

215 Rieker Hans-Werner GER 1711 2

216 Feng Angela AUS 1801 2

217 Lim Mou Jun James SGP 1590 2

218 Broeder Hans-Gert GER 1860 1½

219 Larsen Hans Haagen DEN 1719 1½

220 Tan Xuan Ying SGP 1494 1½

221 Diez Allan PHI 2069 1

222 WIM Nguyen Thien Ngan VIE 2007 1

223 Aadhya V IND 1881 1

224 Langreck John USA 2060 1

225 CM Nisban Cyrus SGP 1879 1

226 FM Phadke Sohan IND 2089 0

227 Oishik Mondal IND 1767 0


THE MAIN EVENT

21 st BCC OPEN 41


CHALLENGER TOURNAMENT

The Challenger Tournament was originally

conceived as a smaller event with fewer

rounds, aimed at those with less time to

play, and especially juniors.

It has since grown to be a worthy tournament

in its own right, now running with the

same number of rounds and time control as the

Open section, only with a limit on the maximum

rating of 2000 ELO. Unrated players who are

not eligible for the Open can join the Challenger

and achieve their first FIDE rating.

Despite this rating ceiling, the strength of the

players is considerable, especially the

younger players who are

making life very difficult for

the more experienced

older players.

This year 87 players took part. There was an

especially strong contingent arriving from the

Philippines, many of them appearing on the top

boards throughout the tournament, with six

finishing in the top ten.

It was held in the Sheraton Hua Hin’s spectacular

Grand Ballroom, featuring all the same

playing conditions as the Open section.

There were five prizes on offer. totalling

70,000 baht, so competition was fierce. Lorenzo

Aaron Cantela eventually prevailed with the top

score of 7.5/9, with Chinese

junior Xu Chang and four

Philippine players close

behind on seven points.

21 st BCC OPEN 43


CHALLENGER TOURNAMENT

21 st BCC OPEN 45

Challenger Tournament Final Standings


1 Cantela, Lorenzo Aaron PHI 1915 7½

2 Xu, Chang (Cq) CHN 1744 7

3 Tan, Mary Joy PHI 1881 7

4 Adena, Lemmuel Jay PHI 1797 7

5 Abeleda, Ritchie James PHI 1771 7

6 Claros, April Joy PHI 1800 6½

7 Gutsulyak, Nikolay FID 1863 6

8 Liang, Hanzhe CHN 1668 6

9 Paglinawan, Zeus Alexis PHI 1870 6

10 Vaisnav, A IND 1798 6

11 Vaibhav, A IND 1832 6

12 Rounak, Pathak IND 1903 6

13 Bian, Qiang CHN 1806 6

14 Ordizo, Kate Nicole PHI 1743 6

15 Nielsen, Karsten Eivind DEN 1939 6

16 Umayan, Samantha Babol PHI 1784 5½

17 Subhabrata, Roy IND 1898 5½

18 Sushrutha, Reddy IND 1681 5½

19 Choko, Andile David RSA 1870 5½

20 Tejada, Rizalyn Jasmine PHI 1746 5½

21 Hambly, David J ENG 1737 5½

22 Derotas, Vic Glysen PHI 1848 5

23 Linn, Phone Myat MYA 1827 5

24 Cu, Jericho Winston PHI 1741 5

25 Olorosisimo, Hans Ezekiel PHI 1812 5

26 Shatalin, Andrian FID 1566 5

27 Luna, Divine Grace PHI 1796 5

28 Sapuan, Arleah Cassandra PHI 1658 5

29 Fortunado, Jay PHI 1735 5

30 Gagloyev, Alan KAZ 1612 5

31 Chan, Wen Hui Ryan SGP 1573 5

32 Vanbellingen, Patrick BEL 1758 5

33 Bourgin, Ilia ISR – 5

34 Baideldinova, Adina KAZ 1504 5

35 Legge, Terence ENG 1631 5

36 Romanillos, Shaina Magne PHI 1689 5

37 Ilic, Milan AUS 1698 5

38 Trinkl, Andreas GER 1791 5

39 Farbood, Ali AUS 1663 5

40 Yelipan, Aliken CHN 1560 4½

51 Luo, Chenyu CHN 1458 4

52 Smirnov, Maksim M. FID 1537 4

53 Langendoen, Aad NED 1622 4

54 Gromov, Mikhail FID 1577 4

55 Chongstitwattana, Cholapat THA 1653 4

56 Fan, Yali CHN 1719 4

57 Kim, Sumin KOR 1555 4

58 Joswin, Jayakumar IND 1466 4

59 El, Rozak CAM 1520 4

60 Sinman, Chawin THA – 4

61 Sheridan, Wallace AUS 1607 4

62 Ahn, Juyong KOR 1631 4

63 Arko, Narayan Ganguly IND 1594 3½

64 Lo Coco, Alessandro ITA 1641 3½

65 Teng, An-Ru Angie TPE 1554 3½

66 Watson, Jean AUS 1695 3½

67 Yang, Zhe CHN 1450 3½

68 Tsang, Bobby ENG 1461 3½

69 Samalapa, Sansern THA – 3½

70 Chulanon, Pongrak THA 1626 3½

71 Safin, Yerasyl KAZ – 3

72 Beisen, Arsen KAZ 1531 3

73 Tourteau, Victoria THA 1461 3

74 Osterhus, Omar Torbjorn DEN 1591 3

75 Mathan, Suchita MAS 1442 3

76 Vasanthakumar, N IND 1470 3

77 Aramvareekul, Aten Parit THA – 3

78 Masangkay, Jecelle Duane PHI – 2½

79 Chen, Linfeng CHN – 2½

80 Ju, Grant CAN – 2½

81 Mathan, Sowmiya MAS – 2½

82 Vasilev, Aleksei FID – 2½

83 Warren, Elizabeth AUS 1446 2½

84 Tourteau, James THA – 2½

85 Grienti, Fulvio ITA – 2

86 Asvahem, Peerathat THA – 2

87 Wongngamnit, Narin USA – 1½

41 Pinphetsawan, Sirikwan THA 1648 4½

42 Maniero, Andrea ITA 1861 4½

43 Melker, Basil ISR – 4½

44 Jeswin, Jayakumar IND 1507 4½

45 Nilkhumhaeng, Nilwadee THA 1497 4½

46 Liu, Jingyu CHN 1657 4½

47 Santhosh, V L IND 1577 4½

48 Santosh, Pal IND 1636 4

49 Lie, Terje NOR 1646 4

50 De Chaudhuri, Aditya KAZ 1568 4


21 st BCC OPEN 47

2


BLITZ TOURNAMENT

Round Every BCC one Open of the is 21st accompanied edition of by the a more two open moving once more forward a staple to the of final. Asia’s chess calendar.

fun Bangkok tournament, Chess the Club BCC Open Blitz is Open. underway at While The this final number featured is a not 16-player in itself round a record, robin, what

Games the Sheraton are played Hua with Hin only Resort three & Spa, minutes Thailand.

this remarkable year with 14 about titled the players 2024 edition including is the 4 grandmasters.

on the clock for each player to complete the

entire Hua game, Hin, while with a not 2-second quite exactly increment on

the each same move. footing as the

French In the Riviera, qualifying the Bahamas rounds

or 112 other people locations competed in 8

popularised groups of 14, by with the the Beach top

Boys and related artists, has

become a magnet for local tourists and Western

retirees alike.

The open and challenger Rk Name sections of the

sharp increase in players representing India.

More The than Champion a hundred is GM showed Timur up Gareyev, in Hua Hin, holder

of representing the world record the bulk for of simultaneous titled players blindfold

attendance.

– competing while wearing a blindfold

games

against Good 48 thing opponents is, we are at the told, same this time particular – in Las

Vegas, hotel specialises USA in 2016. in large Indian weddings.

Although it can be expected that, in this

particular instance, most participants will have

slightly different mating patterns on their minds.

As a fairly FED uneventful Rtg first Ptsround

unfolds, one

tournament are hosted separately in two is tempted to reflect on the event’s longevity and

1 GM Timur Gareyev – 2540 11.5

dazzling ballrooms boasting huge chandeliers, not consistency, over a period of 23 years only

dissimilar from the Hua

2

Hin

GM

beach

Pranesh

sunrise.

M

briefly interrupted

IND 2521

by the

11.5

Covid pandemic. Or

Hyperbolic? Maybe, though 3 GM not Vitaliy that Bernadskiy much if you

are, like most chess aficionados, 4 GM Mitrabha used to Guha playing

chess in taverns, school 5 cafeterias IM Amilal or Munkhdalai multi-sport

receive an UKR initiation 2494 to the 10 local variant of chess,

which is endemic IND 2508 to Thailand 9.5 and Cambodia,

courtesy MGL of the ???Or 2281 get 9 ready for happy hour

halls. But we digress. 6 IM Oleg Badmatsyrenov by the pool FID bar. Take 2436 your 9 pick, and join us at this

This year, a total of 7 over Konstantin 300 participants Sek

hailing from close to fifty 8 IM different James countries Morris

have congregated to Thailand, 9 FM Pham making Tran the Gia BCC Phuc

year’s Bangkok FID chess 2443 club 8.5 open.

Or if you AUS can’t, 2433 do check 8.5 out the games from

the top boards VIE on 2152 chess.com. 8

10 IM Nie Xinyang CHN 2293 7.5

11 FM Mark Jay Bacojo PHI 2290 7.5

12 FM Christian Gian Karlo Arca PHI 2274 6.5

13 FM Lye Lik Zang MAS 2030 5.5

14 CM Cu, Ivan Travis PHI 1963 4.5

15 Wang Zijian CHN 2121 3

16 WFM Christine Elisabeth INA 1852 0


BLITZ TOURNAMENT

21 st BCC OPEN 49


BLITZ TOURNAMENT

21 st BCC OPEN 51

THAI CHESS (MAKRUK)


THAI CHESS (MAKRUK)

The Thai-Chess (Mak Ruk) Association,

presided over by Dr. Palphol Rodloytuk,

organised two Makruk round-robin tournaments

taking place on two mornings during the

Open tournament. This was aimed at introducing

the traditional Thai game to a wider audience.

Grandmaster Timur Gureyev took part, as

well as several players from the Open section,

and even our Chief Arbiter IA Maung Maung

Lwin. Both days were won by International

Master Jan Emmanuel Garcia of the Philippines.

As well as the two morning tournaments,

there were instructors on hand to explain the

rules, and a display of magnificent and very rare

antique Makruk chess sets.

21 st BCC OPEN 53

When a stray fishing boat washed up on

shore, we couldn’t resist the temptation

to set up a chess board and invite the

Grandmasters to brave the waves.

We were joined by Jakub Mares, F&B

Manager at the Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa,

who arranged a wonderful supply of refreshments

and snacks to ‘sea’ us through that hungry

period between breakfast and lunch.

Our “victims” were 21st BCC Open

Champion Grandmaster Vitaliy Bernadskiy, 13th

BCC Open Champion GM Zhao Zong-Yuan, GM

Pranesh, WGM Janelle Frayna, WGM Enkhtuul

Altan-Ulzii and IM Prin Laohawirapap, Thailand’s

first IM – plus a few waifs.

They seemed to be enjoying themselves.


21 st BCC OPEN 55


21 st BCC OPEN 57

“ So hoist up the John B’s sail,

See how the mainsail sets,

Call for the captain ashore,

I want to play chess…”

THE BEACH BOYS


21 st st BCC OPEN 59

THE

PROFESSIONALS

GM Denis Makhnev


THE PROFESSIONALS

WGM Enkhtuul Altan-Ulzii

GM Lalit Babu M R

GM Peng Xiongjian

GM Zhao Zong-Yuan

IM Oleg Badmatsyrenov

IM Daniel Quizon FM Harsh Suresh GM Sengupta Deep

GM Pranesh M FM Pham Tran Gia IM Srihari L R

21 st BCC OPEN 61


Queen’s Gambit

21 st BCC OPEN 63

GIANT

Juniors

Scary Strength

It is a new era of chess, where junior players are

growing up with a wealth of online information

readily available, and millions of games to analyse,

as well as access to coaching that used to be

harder to find.

This changes the way they play compared to

previous generations – they have immense

tactical ability as well as the ability to calculate

long lines. Where they lose out is longterm

positional understanding and experience.

It is clear that our older

regulars are losing hard-earned

ELO points to underrated

juniors. The young Indian girl

shown opposite, for instance,

gained over 110 rating points

in the Blitz Tournament!


GIANT JUNIORS

21 st BCC OPEN 65

Busy Bees

Crucial Support

Without our wonderful staff, the BCC Open

could never function as smoothly as it does.

Their tireless attention to detail, willingness

to undertake whatever task is

required, patience with endless demands

from the competitors and the Tournament

Director, and their joyful interaction, is a

pleasure to behold.

Because of the professionalism of our

senior staff, as well as the dedicated work of

our team, the BCC Open has set the standard

for tournaments across the region and

the world.

We even found time to celebrate a

birthday, and to take all the

staff for an excellent

seafood dinner within

walking distance of

the resort.


BUSY BEES

21 st BCC OPEN 67


21 st BCC OPEN 69

FAMILIAR FACES

FAMILIAR

FACES


Welcome Back!

One of the great strengths of our tournament

is the large number of regular

players flying from all over the world to

join our tournaments each year.

FM Wisuwat Teerapabpaisit is one of

a very select group to have played in all

21 editions of the Bangkok Chess Club

Open, starting in 2001!

It is always a pleasure to welcome

them back to the BCC Open.

21 st BCC OPEN 71

Fine Dining with PYN

VIP Banquet

At every Bangkok Chess Club Open, the top grandmasters,

visiting dignitaries and core organisers are invited by our

generous sponsor PYN for a gastronomic experience, each

course accompanied by a different fine wine.

This year we were joined by our 13th BCC Open Champion

Grandmaster Zhao Zong-Yuan and his wife, former

Deputy Minister of Commerce Dr. Sansern Samalapa and

visiting dignitaries from the Hotel and Tourism Association

Hua Hin office.


FINE DINING WITH PYM

21 st BCC OPEN 73

Paparazzi

Bangkok Chess Club’s own website

www.bangkokchess.com


Above: Bangkok Chess Club YouTube channel

featuring interviews

Right: BCC TikTok channel

21 st BCC OPEN 75

Paparazzi

With so many Indian players, Chessbase India

gave extensive coverage: www.chessbase.in

Date Chessbase Articles Link

14/02 Bangkok Chess Club invites you to 21st

BCC Open 2024

20/02 20 years of the Bangkok Chess Open

13/03 Big Response for 21st BCC Open 2024

14/04 21st BCC Open 2024 starts at Hua Hin

17/04 21st BCC Open 2024 R2-4: Subhayan

stuns Xiongjian

19/04 21st BCC Open 2024 R5-6: Ritviz Parab

and Harsh Suresh in the chase

21/04 Vitaliy Bernadskiy on the verge of

winning 21st BCC Open 2024

22/04 Vitaliy Bernadskiy wins 21st BCC Open

2024, Mitrabha Guha second


Live game broadcasts at Lichess.org

(above) and Chess.com

21 st BCC OPEN 77

Paparazzi

Left: RYT9 Thai news channel

Top: Russian website ChessNews.info

Above: Myanmar newspaper article.


The world chess body FIDE promoted and sponsored the

tournament: www.fide.com

365Chess covered the tournament with links to play

through games from the live boards: 365chess.com

21 st BCC OPEN 79

Collateral Material

Left: Scoresheets, used by every competitor to

record their moves each game.

Below: Table numbers.

21 ST BANGKOK CHESS CLUB OPEN • SHERATON HUA HIN RESORT & SPA • 13–21 APRIL 2024

GM Bernadskiy, Vitaliy

UKR 2561

21 ST BANGKOK CHESS CLUB OPEN • SHERATON HUA HIN RESORT & SPA • 13–21 APRIL 2024

21 ST BANGKOK CHESS CLUB CHALLENGER • SHERATON HUA HIN RESORT & SPA • 13–21 APRIL 2024

GM Pranesh, M

IND 2538 Chongstitwattana, Cholapat

THA 1653

21 ST BANGKOK CHESS CLUB CHALLENGER • SHERATON HUA HIN RESORT & SPA • 13–21 APRIL 2024

Above: Individual nameplates.

Maniero, Andrea

ITA 1861


Left: the interview station was a popular spot

to take photos.

Below: logo backdrops for the top boards.

Bottom: Nameplates and table numbers at

every board.

21 st BCC OPEN 81

Collateral Material

Above: Arbiter passes

Left: Tournament poster

Below: Certificates of Achievement for

winners, and Certificates of Participation

available for all competitors.

CERTIFICATE

OF ACHIEVEMENT


13–21 April 2024


13–21 April 2024

CERTIFICATE

OF PARTICIPATION

IO KAI TUORILA

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

PRESENTED TO

FM Mark Jay Bacojo

PRESENTED TO

FM Banh Gia Huy

FOR TAKING PART IN THE

21ST BANGKOK CHESS CLUB OPEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS

13–21 APRIL 2024

WINNER BLITZ QUALIFIER C

21ST BANGKOK CHESS CLUB OPEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS

13–21 APRIL 2024

IA MAUNG MAUNG LWIN

CHIEF ARBITER

IO KAI TUORILA

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

IA MAUNG MAUNG LWIN

CHIEF ARBITER


Crosstables: large format wall charts where players can keep track of

scores during the tournament.

21 st BCC OPEN 83

w w w . B a n g k o k C h e s s . c o m

21st BCC Open Magazine

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