The third round of the Chess Festival Groningen was a tough one. Some ended in a draw, some in a result, but almost all games were hard fought battles. 

On the first board the Czech Alexey Kislinsky surprised local hero Sipke Ernst with a King’s Gambit. The Falkbeer Countergambit appeared on the board with chances for both sides. Kislinsky had a giant oppurtunity to decide the game instantly with 23. Nxf7! Mutual blindness however struck both players, and the game ended peacefully not much later. 

On the second board GM Roeland Pruijssers en IM Casper Schoppen fought a fierce battle in a complex Italian. In the commentary room GM Sipke Ernst en GM Yge Visser came up with some wild lines, but they didn’t appear on the board. Finally lot’s of pieces were exchanged and a draw was reached. 

On board 3 Zyon Kollen couldn’t surprise GM Ottomar Ladva from Estonia. Ladva played the antipositional 19. g4, but eventually beat Kollen in longduring timetrouble of the Dutch FM. 

The two youngsters FM Joris Kokje and FM Eelke de Boer have had a great first three rounds. De Boer made a rather smooth draw against GM Mikhail Ulybin, altough it was a complicated game for both sides. Fierce battles in which lots of players are willing to fight for the tournament victory, that’s the conclusion so far.