The chess master class started a new season last weekend. The Groninger Combinatie team has taken on a considerably more youthful appearance.
Leandro Slagboom came over from Philidor Leeuwarden. Eelke de Boer is back after a chess sabbatical. Loek van der Hagen moves on from the second team. Machteld van Foreest and Jonas Hilwerda were also there last season. The upcoming youth is supplemented by a number of experienced players. It is therefore difficult to estimate the ambitions. Maintaining in the master class and gaining experience seems to be the goal for the coming season. The first match was immediately important, because opponent Zukertort Amstelveen is not one of the strongest teams in the master class.
Correct result
It became a match in which the Groningen Combination had the initiative, but in which Zukertort came back again and again. The eventual 5-5 draw was therefore a fair result.
Peace was quickly signed on board 1 by Sipke Ernst and Robert Ris, but on the other boards there was a tough battle to enjoy, including two nice victories by Machteld van Foreest and Jonas Hilwerda. There was little to complain about Joost Wempe’s draw, but there were also some mistakes to be noted on both sides. Simon Elgersma naturally accepted the free tower that was given to him out of the blue. On the other hand, Loek van der Hagen suddenly lost material after a nice game. Nick Maatman and substitute Alef Boer might have deserved half a point more. With 4-4 on the scoreboard and two going, the tension was palpable. Eelke de Boer was under great pressure for a long time, but managed to secure half a point with perseverance. Finally, Leandro Slagboom was excellent for a long time, but had to survive a perilous moment in the endgame to end in a draw.
Results
Groninger Combinatie – Zukertort Amstelveen 5-5: 1. Ernst – Ris 0.5-0.5; 2. Maatman – de Winter 0-1; 3. Barrier – Strating 0.5-0.5; 4. De Boer – Peelen 0.5-0.5; 5. M.van Foreest – van Gisbergen 1-0; 6. Wempe – Dissolve 0.5-0.5; 7. Van der Hagen – van der Eijk 0-1; 8. Elgersma – Kuling 1-0; 9. Boer – Schilstra 0-1; 10. Hilwerda – Theulings 1-0.