Report of tournament & photos of the Unicorn Open 2006

Unicorn Open 2006

The tournament of Chemie Weißensee in cooperation with the Gewerbepark Georg Knorr

Report of the tournament by FM Norman Thielsch:

"We thank the wives of our participants for their having borrowed their husbands over Ascension Day. And we apologize that we will come back to this loan also next year. But this finally has good of its, then as, too, otherwise could manage to hold men over Ascension Day of drinking?" With these sentences Johann Eberlein, chairman of the section chess of BSV 63 Chemie Weißensee e.V., opened the award ceremony of the international chess tournament Unicorn Open 2006.

One of the greatest chess tournaments of Berlin was decided. From all of Germany, from Hungary, Norway, even from Mexico and Colombia had fought for five days 154 chess enthusiastic? Each of them had gone through seven games. Every game could last up to six hours. Having seen something clearly in the fears six hours of fullest concentration and strain six hours on the desperate search for the decisive attack train always. An enormous emotional and also physical load.

Venue was traditionally the Georgsaal in the trade park Georg Knorr. A perfect frame for events of such order of magnitude. The trade park restaurant "Mr. Cuisine" stood for the culinary reasonably priced supply to be praised in every regard. Up to twelve hour chess on a day was - played to double rounds more still - there get-together, the trade park restaurant was a place of the diversion, regeneration and sociable, too. The organizers of the Unicorn Open of economy enterprises were supported from the region. So EXPOFAIR put the tables, honour the graphic office helped Muth & Herrmann at the leaflets and place cards and this one made building cleaning service to his name precisely all. FELIX Wohnungsgenossenschaft eG and Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft "Hellersdorfer Kiez" eG gave assistance financially to the organizers while Guido Thielsch (DiUS) arranged and looked after all contacts to the economy. Of course a special gratitude is due to the trade park Georg Knorr as a dedicated, reliable partner without whom an event would not have been possible for such a dimension.

80 tournament players were under the participants with an international value number, of this 11 with a title awarded by the world chess federation FIDE. Grand Master was for Sergej Kalinitschew as a favourite from these masters on the tournament victory. Kalinitschew won the first three games, did not get beyond a draw, however, in the rounds four to six. Kalinitschew had disappointed obviously to be content with rank 9. It still worse caught the surprise winner of the previous year Fide master (FM) Norman Thielsch. In the rounds three to five what stood, for him for two drawn one and a defeat to beech rank sufficed despite four wins in the first and last two rounds only to 17th. So who became Unicorn champion 2006? FM Werner Reichenbach, perhaps the most charismatic personality of the Berlin chess scene and Philipp Neerforth completely surprisingly only set this one to 25, led the 70-year-old (!) before the last round. Both could produce 5½ from 6 possible points. The tournament winner should result from them, should actually… The pursuer group consisted of six players with 5 points each. Of them only the only 16-year-old Atila Gajo Figura could win his final round game. This was not, however, a surprise because Atila is already regarded as one of the strongest chess players of Berlin. And the game of the tournament leader? It ended after relatively quiet course draw. So three players had reached 6 points. In such cases the Buchholz decides. The stronger the opponents of a player are, the higher the Buchholz is. And Atila Gajo Figura had the strongest opponents. He won the Unicorn Open in 2006 and was allowed to be pleased about € 600 price money. FM followed Werner Reichenbach on the places in front of Philipp Neerforth.

In the history of the Unicorn Open no player could gain two tournament victories behind each other yet. Will Atila Gajo Figura succeed in this trick in 2007? Anyway one may be tense, in future, which performances the German youth master of 1999 and 2003 still will accomplish.

Photos of the Unicorn Open 2006:

The opening of the Unicorn Open 2006 at the 24th of May	A look at the 5 games on the podium
The Georgsaal	Other boards
The cups for the champions	The opening of the award ceremony by Johann Eberlein
The first words by the head of tournament Jan Kinder	The tournament winner Atila Gajo Figura (SC Kreuzberg) with 6 points
The tournament winner Atila Gajo Figura with cup - He won again in the youth section, in the same way as last year.	The 2nd placed FM Werner Reichenbach (SC Schwante) with 6 points - champion in the senior section.
The 3rd placed Philipp Neerforth (SC Empor Potsdam 1952) with 6 points	The 4th placed Benjamin Dauth (SC Rotation Pankow) with 5½ points - If he won the last game, he would be the tournament winner.

The champion in the Under 1900 section Jacob Beißer (SV Glück auf Rüdersdorf) with 5½ points - Rank: 12th Simultaneous he reached the 2nd price in the youth section.	The 3rd placed in the Under 1900 section Andreas Kuckel (SV Motor Wildau) with 4½ points - Rank: 32nd
The champion in the Under 1600 section Klaus Däweritz (SG Narva Berlin) with 3½ points - Rank: 78th	The champion in the women section WIM Anne Czäczine (Chemnitzer SC Aufbau 95) sovereignly with 5 points - Rank: 23rd
The 2nd placed in the senior section FM Gerhard Lüders (BSC Rehberge 1945) with 5 points reached the cup - Rank: 16th	The 4th placed in the youth section André Kunz (BSV 63 Chemie Weißensee) with 4½ points reached the cup, because the 3rd placed was already departed - Rank: 38th

All the champions with cup	The Top 3: P. Neerforth, A.G. Figura, FM W. Reichenbach

The draw for the 3 participants without price by the youngest participant of tournament - Szigmond Szajbély, 8 years old - (SV Empor Berlin) with 2 points - Rank: 135th	The 1st price (reserved for the youth) reached curiously Johann Eberlein (chairman of the section chess of the club BSV 63 Chemie Weißensee - 1st from the left), who had made the opening speech, with 3½ points by 6 games - Rank: 87th
2nd price: Anke Fischer (SG Lasker Steglitz- Wilmersdorf) with 3 points - Rank: 111th	3rd price: Sebastian Schmidt-Schäffer (SF Bad Mergentheim) with 5½ points - Rank: 8th
The 5 games on the podium of the 7th and last round	The closing of the Unicorn Open 2006 by the head of tournament Jan Kinder