With the start of the B-Open, the Dortmund Chess Days officially kicked off their 53rd edition, and right from the start, there were nearly some major surprises.
Following brief welcoming remarks by IPS e.V. officials Christian Jochmann, Patrick Zelbel, and Andreas Jagodzinsky, Chief Arbiter Frank Jäger gave the go-ahead for the first-round games of the B-Open.
The tournament’s seedings are led by a trio from SSV Bruchsal: Tim Gewinger, Leon Wegmer, and Dr. Martin Werner. Tim Gewinger (photo) won without much difficulty on Board 1 against Metehan Bingöl. For his two clubmates, however, the first round was not going to be a relaxed affair. On board two, Leon Wegmer suffered an early material loss against the young Turkish player Duru Atosay. For a long time, it looked as though Atosay might capitalize on her material advantage to pull off a major upset. Wegmer, however, played tenaciously and exploited an inaccuracy by his opponent to force a repetition of moves in the endgame despite being a bishop down, resulting in a draw. Dr. Martin Werner also found himself at a material disadvantage quite early in the game after his opponent from Münster, Jari Unkel, managed to trap a pawn on g2. The Bruchsal player, however, kept his composure and was able to increasingly seize the initiative as the game progressed, before turning the game completely in his favor.
Among the nearly 200 players are two other interesting participants: Oleksandr Kasapchuk and Milan Kandic. Kasapchuk finished second in the B-Open as early as 2023, before going on to win it in 2024. Kandic, on the other hand, is the only FIDE Master in the field and, with his experience, is sure to be in contention for the top spots. Both won their first-round matches convincingly.
Tomorrow, August 2, play continues at 10:30 a.m. for Group B.