Warmerdam and Keetman win Dutch Championship

Max Warmerdam and Maaike Keetman are the new Dutch chess champions.

The Dutch Chess Championships took place from July 6-13, 2024, at the Galgewaard football stadium in Utrecht. Both the open and women’s sections were 16-player knockout tournaments running simultaneously.

Each match consisted of two classical games, with 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes to the end of the game, with a 30-second increment from move 1, followed by a tiebreak in cases of a tie.

Unfortunately, the defending champion Anish Giri and the last year runner-up Jorden van Foreest opted not to participate in the open event. Still the field was a good mix of young and experienced players featuring Jan Timman, Erwin L’Ami, Ivan Sokolov, Sergei Tiviakov and Max Warmerdam.

Varmerdam advanced steadily into the final, convincingly defeating Liam Vrolijk, Leandro Slagboom and Benjamin Bok.

Sergei Tiviakov’s path to the match for the national title was a hard-fought one, overcoming Erwin L’Ami and Ivan Sokolov in tiebreaks during the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

The first game of the final was the decisive one. Warmerdam prevailed on the black side of the Sicilian Defense and took the lead. The second game became a formality – a short draw was agreed securing the second national title for Max Warmerdam.

Without the defending champion and Dutch #1 woman Eline Roebers, five-time national women’s champion WGM Anne Haast and WFM Maaike Keetman cruised through the bracket to the final, needing no tiebreak.

In a surprising turn of events, the final was a one-side battle, with the lower-rated Maaike Keetman winning both classical games to capture her maiden title.

Photos: Harry Gielen

Official website: nk.schaken.nl/