No VAS1 member was available to provide a comprehensive report so we asked
ChatGPT5 to write it based on rumors, fabricated allegations, and gossip.
Dutch chess is rich in history. Famous dates:
December 15 1935: Euwe becomes world champion.
November 10 1976: The Netherlands gets a silver medal at the Men’s chess Olympiads.
January 31 2021: Jorden van Foreest wins Tata Steel, ahead of all the big boys
And last but not least, Feb 3 2023: Purmerend beats VAS1 during the a gloomy,
nauseating day.
You all remember it acutely. Rafael not showing up and other tales of horror. No need to
revisit them. This year’s VAS1 team was planning to exact revenge, poised to scratch
that ugly stain from our collective consciousness. Reinforced by legendary GM Friso
Nijboer and youth members climbing fast and hard, we had every reason to be
confident.
Job made quick work of his opponent after several missteps early on to open up the
score. The silent killer strikes again.
Victor followed through afterwards with a cagey and slightly hesitant win. As soon as the position opened up however, we all knew it was just a matter of time before the Alkmaar. Hurricane unleashed the devastation. The man is back.
Anton did what Anton does i.e. grind effortlessly until the apples falls in his basket,
rolling into the oven, for a nice comforting Automn Dutch apple pie, sprinkled with
Javanese cinnamon.
Ramon was again busy at work, thoughtfully painting a harmonious canvass of the
Dutch landscape with white against a combative Coenen. Winning a pawn, and then
another, he stumbled on the finish line. His opponent claimed a 3-fold repetition when
there were still practical chances left. Bummer.
Let it be known, Tex hates being typecast. Facing Purmerend’s top guy, Hing Ting Lai,
he decided the day was ripe for metamorphosis. oregoing his classical chess
upbringing, he went for some kind of tribal dance of fire on move 3. Chaos ensued with
chances on both sides, finally ending in perpetual check and myocardial infarcts
everywhere. Fine Tex, you made your point. I see 1.e4 in the imminent future.
Rafael is having a thunderous year, eating rating points for breakfast. Despite a few
inaccuracies, he kept his own party going, confidently outplaying his opponent in the
endgame, eventually triumphing in a rook-bishop vs rook endgame.
Daan has 9 lives. Unkillable. He showed it again. After a very nice opening with
immediate winning chances, he made a big inaccuracy, stumbling in a lost position.
Time to resign we all thought. And that’s when Daan went to work in this position.
1…Kc4 (yes 1…Rh1 followed by h2 wins easily) 2.Rc6 Kb3 3.Rb6!? Kxa3?? (Ka2 was
lights out) 4.Rb3! Ka2 (4…Ka4 5.Rxc3 is a theoretical draw) 5.Rb2! Rb2 stalemate!
Friso welcomed his VAS groupies by showed his class. Against IM Barry Brink, he went
for risky imbalances with black and landed in a superior endgame, which he confidently
converted. It was funny to hear about his past experiences in the opening against such
legends as Nakamura.
Take was the last to finish. In a long tedious strategic game in which he tried everything,
he couldn’t topple his stubborn opponent and settled for a draw.
Some may be surprised to read that there were only 9 games last Saturday. This is
indeed true.
Rumors of a Ghannoum implosion in the opening followed by a gross
oversight (and fine play from his opponent) are entirely baseless and merit no
consideration. Fake news. Worthy of media censorship. Just stop already.
Next Stop: Amstelveen! One of the favorites to promote, and a crucial matchup for the
top places in the division. Don’t miss it…