Greatest Hits (plus bonustrack)
The Holiday Season is approaching! To sharpen the brain ahead of the many summer tournaments—or simply to fend off boredom by the pool—here are some completely free chess puzzles. All of them are related to the HZ University of Applied Sciences Chess Tournament, which, as everyone knows, will once again be held in Vlissingen this year. From August 2 to 9, to be precise.
Igor Glek – Mikhail Gurevich
Vlissingen 1997 – White to move
We begin with a position from the very first HZ Chess Tournament. A simple one to get started: how does White win?
Xie Jun – Alexei Barsov
Vlissingen 1997 – White to move
Another from the first edition. Xie Jun was Women’s World Champion from 1991–1996 and again from 1999–2001. The fame of Alexei Barsov may have been even greater in Vlissingen’s chess circles. He won the first edition of the Zeeland Open in 1995—the predecessor of the current HZ Tournament. The two players had already faced each other earlier in 1997 in Wijk aan Zee. Xie Jun won then, and things didn’t go much better for the poor Uzbek here either. How does White win?
Machiel De Heer – Mikhail Gurevich
Vlissingen 1998 – black to move
Mikhail Gurevich won the 1998 tournament. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. In this position, he missed a direct win. Can you spot it?
Zoltán Gyimesi – René Tiggelman
Vlissingen 2003, black to move
A near-upset that should have been a full one. Particularly painful since I was behind the black pieces. The played move 29. ... Qg4 should have been enough for a win, but in the complications I lost my way, and the GM escaped with a draw. There was a much more beautiful and stronger move, can you find it?
Michal Krasenkow – Andrey Vovk
Vlissingen 2009 – white to move
Michal Krasenkow has won the HZ Tournament the most times—his name appears on the trophy no fewer than 4 times. Find the winning move.
Sander Van Eijk – Sergey Fedorchuk
Vlissingen 2010 – black to move
One of the charms of the HZ Tournament is the many amateur vs. professional matchups. And sometimes even 2650+ players miss something. How could Black have won here?
Michal Krasenkow – Merijn Van Delft
Vlissingen 2012 – white to move
Another example from our Rekordmeister. White to play and win.
Eelco Haak – Robert Ris
Vlissingen 2013 – black to move
Who teaches whom a lesson? Both Eelco and Robert are teachers, though not in the same field. Talented cellists can study music with Eelco in Salamanca, while those seeking to improve their chess can go to Robert.
If you belong to at least one of these groups you can find more information at:
www.eelcohaak.com
www.robertris.com
In this position, Black must choose between 30. ... Ke7 or 30. ... Kg8. What’s the best choice—or does it not matter?
Eduardo Iturrizaga Bonelli – Max Warmerdam
Vlissingen 2018 – white to move
Eduardo Iturrizaga Bonelli was the 2017 winner and returned to defend his title. He didn’t succeed, but did win a nice game against Max Warmerdam, who in 2018 was not yet the strong GM he is today. How does White win?
Samvel Ter-Sahakyan – Arthur de Winter
Vlissingen 2024 – white to move
The friendly Armenian defending champion against the young Dutch talent who had just won the Open Dutch Championship. A highly anticipated matchup that, frankly, disappointed. Arthur had just played 14. ... Nxd2. How did White respond?
Erwin L’Ami – Arkadi Syrov
Vlissingen 2024 – white to move
He’s played in Vlissingen several times, but his name is still missing from the trophy. Perhaps that changes this year—Erwin is playing again. His opponent is also returning and surely seeking revenge. In this position, Erwin found the quickest win—do you see it too?
Simon Provoost – Vyacheslav Ikonnikov
Vlissingen 2024, black to move
Vyacheslav “Slava” Ikonnikov is the GM with by far the most appearances at the HZ Tournament. If memory serves, he has even tied for first once, but thanks to tiebreaks, his name isn’t on the cup yet. His style is purely positional, but here he shows an unexpectedly flashy side.
Bharath Subramaniyam – Cees de Wolf
Vlissingen 2024 – white to move
A borderline case—not officially part of the HZ Tournament. Each year, on the evening before round 1, there’s a special activity: a lecture or usually a simul. In 2024, the young Indian GM faced a group of enthusiastic amateurs, including Middelburg player Cees de Wolf. I didn’t include this out of spite—but because of the elegant final move. How does White win?
Bonus – white to move
A position that has absolutely nothing to do with the HZ Tournament, and I need a good excuse to include it. OK, this came up during analysis at a club game at SKS, the chess club in Oost-Souburg. And Oost-Souburg is technically part of the municipality of Vlissingen. Well, maybe not the best excuse—but I'm keeping it in, because it’s a nice position and the solution isn’t too hard. White to play and win.
See you Vlissingen!