After the first session (of totally four) Team Thailand now has the upper hand in the Youth Chess Challenge. After in total 16 chess matches Team Thailand took 9,5 points (compared to 6,5 points for SS Manhem).

Team Thailand turned out to have their strongest players on table 1 and 4. Our youngsters playing on table 2 and 3 were, according to the results, equally as strong as the ones of Team Thailand. In sum:

Team Thailand clearly turned out to be most powerful in the games where the openings were decided in advance (this time: the classical Preussian Game, or Two Knights Defense). Team Thailand won these games 6 points to 2. Team Manhem could however find some consolation in the following 8 games where the players didn’t´t have to make any special opening moves. In these latter games the Manhem players won 4,5 points to 3,5.

The matches were all played in a very friendly atmosphere on the website Chess.com. Before the challenge began the players introduced themselves to each other on Skype. Due to some recurring technical problems the organizer of the competition, Mr Björn Andersson (FM), was continuously under pressure. However, thanks to the admirable patience and inexhaustible energy of Mr Andersson (FM), the challenge could be carried out as planned.

This Saturday, on the 26th of May, an international chess challenge is taking place between SS Manhem and Thailand. The matches will be played at chess.com. Four promising young chess players from Thailand will compete against four of our own talented club members, all under the supervision of FM Björn Andersson. The matches that will take place are:

Gustav Lindholm – Jonathan Bodemar (Sam)
Alexander Ström-Engdahl – Brunel Burbach (Poleon)
Marcus Lindholm – Kantapat Piyathumawuttikul (Indy)
Roshan Ghaderi – Sornsawan Singsomroj (Mei-Mei)

The four matches will begin approximately at 1:00 p.m. each with a time limit per player of 15 minutes + 10 seconds increment per move starting from move one. Two of the matches will be played with the opening moves from the classical Preussian Game (or Two Knights Defense). The other two matches will be played without any special instructions regarding opening moves. Arbiter is Bruno Burbach.

Below – Team Thailand (from the left): Sam, Poleon, Indy and Mei-Mei. The players from Thailand are 12, 9, 11 and 15 years of age and all live in different parts of Thailand (Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Bangkok and Chiang Mai).

Below – Team Manhem (from the left): Gustav, Alexander, Marcus and Roshan (picture to come). They are 13, 12, 11 and 15 years of age and all live in or around Göteborg (Photo by Lars OA Hedlund).