Groninger Combinatie has closed the chess season in the Masters class with a clear 6.5-3.5 victory against HWP Sas van Gent.
After the defeat against Apeldoorn, the championship chances for the Groningen team were lost and interests were no longer at stake, while all remaining opponents were still fighting against relegation.
So Sas van Gent had to win, but that was not possible for a moment. Without their strongest player Ikonnikov, it seemed as if the Zeelanders had already thrown in the towel. After a draw by Anna Warakomska, Groninger Combinatie quickly took a comfortable lead. Nick Maatman won after a beautiful combination with queen sacrifice and stitchmate. Loek van der Hagen scored his first master class point and Joost Wempe increased the Groningen team’s lead.
It was even better with a win from Barnabas Kovacsy. The Hungarian student was transferred from the second team in the last three rounds and scored his third point in a row.
Grandmaster standard
Julian Kramer also won after a long match. If he had been Dutch, he could have crowned an excellent season with a grandmaster norm. Strangely enough, however, the world chess federation has different rules for foreigners in a national competition. That is why the Dutch do not have to have played against three foreigners in their own league, but Germans do. And that requirement was not met.
With the draws of Sipke Ernst and Maurice Schippers, the match points were well within. The defeats of Machteld van Foreest and Jonathan Carlstedt did not endanger the victory after that.
After the difficult last season, fourth place is a good achievement for Groninger Combinatie, although they had hoped for more. Apeldoorn decided the battle for the championship in the final round by beating the only remaining competitor – the Leiden LSG – 7-3.
Championship
The only northern team that could celebrate a championship was Groninger Combinatie 2, which was promoted back to the first division after a year of absence. The new competition will start in September.
Results
Groninger Combination – HWP Sas van Gent 6.5-3.5. 1. Ernst – Leenhouts 0.5-0.5; 2. Kramer–Cardon 1-0; 3. Maatman – Roos 1-0; 4. Carlstedt – Follesa 0-1; 5. M. van Foreest – Piceu 0-1; 6. Wempe – Groffen 1-0; 7. Kovacsy–Decrop 1-0; 8. Van der Hagen – Nemegeer 1-0; 9. Skippers – Ruzhansky 0.5-0.5; 10. Warakomska – Vantorre 0.5-0.5.
Other results: Paul Keres – The Piece Hunters 6.5-3.5; Kennemer Combination – Charlois Europoort 9.5-0.5; Apeldoorn–LSG 7-3; Zukertort Amstelveen – South Limburg 5-5.
Final standings: 1. Apeldoorn 15 (K); 2. Kennemer Combination 13; 3.LSG 11; 4. Groninger Combination and Paul Keres 10; 6. Charlois Europoort 9; 7. South Limburg 8; 8. Zukertort Amstelveen 6; 9. The Piece Hunters 6 (D); 10. HWP Sas van Gent 3 (D).