Burgdorf success

4 Nimzowitschlers went to play in Burgdorf’s 2026 open.
Christoph, Giannis and Felix placed close to their starting ranks.
Alister Smith placed 23rd from a 69th starting rank !

He tells us of his experience:

“It was a pleasure to participate in the Burgdorfer Stadthaus-Open for a second time together with fellow Nimzos Christoph Drechsler, Felix Schwab, and Giannis Panos. The tournament is super well-organized and guarantees competitive chess across three categories. I very much welcome that pre-payment eliminates the need for turning up early and that an upper participation limit ensures that its cozy, but not too cozy, in the playing hall.  Memorable moments over the weekend included catching up with former opponents, Saturday’s dinner with Felix at the Gasthof Landhaus, and Sunday’s lunch at the castle itself with the talented Gian Pinelli.

Regarding the chess itself there were solid results from Christoph (2.5), Felix (2) and Giannis “Giri” (2, made up of four draws). A special mention goes to Poyraz Canatar, 15, (chess club Riehen) FIDE 1849 who scored three from four with a performance rating of 2173! A top performance and a fantastic advancement from our meeting over the board at his first tournament (Basel Autumn Festival 2024).

Naturally I wouldn’t be representing with this post if I didn’t reasonably score well (3 with a performance rating 2102). Good results are usually, as is the case here, a combination of good play and a bit of luck. Many thanks at this point to club colleagues and my coach for the support, input, and good company.”