Already in the opening round of the Groningen Chess Festival, the grandmasters had to work pretty hard. Sergei Tiviakov andAlexander Kovchan even had to concede draws against their young opponents Kobe Smeets (15) and Roger Labruyere (16). The rating favourite, Valery Kazakouski from Lithuania, also seemed to be heading for a draw until his opponent Koen Lambrechts, fascinated by all the rich possibilities in the position, exceeded the time limit. Michal Krasenkow only managed to beat fifteen-year-old Aashman Gupta deep in a double-rook ending. A little further down, Machteld van Foreest (16), who won the Dutch Women’s title here last year, suffered a surprising defeat against 14-year-old Gachatur Kazarian. The overall standard is getting higher and higher these days!