Three friendly ranking tournaments in Oudenaarde
30 June 2024To celebrate the start of the summer holidays, Tom and Nadja organized a cozy garden tournament at their home in Melden (Oudenaarde). Players from far and wide were invited, covering all possible categories. In the end, 21 players answered the call, and three tournaments were organized: Promises (rating <1000), Beginners (rating 1000-1250), and Advanced (rating >1250). To prepare for potential raindrops (which proved necessary by the end of the afternoon), two tents were set up. The drinks were chilled in the fridge, and the games could begin!
PromisingTournament
As many as twelve promising players participated, including three new players. Additionally, three players were competing in their second tournament. Nine participants were juniors. The Promises Tournament was highly competitive, with only three players having a rating above 500. This led to many open, exciting, and unpredictable matches. The top four spots followed logical expectations: Wout Schotte remained undefeated and held off competitor Karen Van Landeghem in a direct duel. Sander Schotte and Patrick Marichal finished with three points and a significant number of stones. Thycho Demoor, the lowest-ranked player, also scored three points, losing only once and drawing twice. Debutant Sara Talloen also secured three wins. Stan Roos finished with two points and concluded with a 64-0 victory against Myrthe Demoor. That game ended after just 13 moves, with a final score of 17-0. Both players were surprised and played an extra game just for fun afterward. An honorable mention goes to Pepijn Van Damme, who won his first games. Both Manuel and Merel May debuted with one win out of three matches. Alexander Marichal did not win any games this time. Last year, he managed three wins out of seven at the Easter Tournament. However, given how close some of his matches were, things could have turned out differently. After this tournament, all new players will be added to the world rankings!
Beginners Tournament
Four beginners, including two inactive players, were gathered for a separate beginner's tournament. For the first time in the history of the Belgian Othello Association, beginners were separated from both Promises and Advanced players. Jan Van Damme also joined (as an advanced player), with a rating close to the tournament's allowed maximum. He won all four of his matches, though his game against Pierre Poliakoff (inactive since 2017) was a close 33-31. Kristoffel Jacobs, inactive since 2009, had the lowest rating but still finished second with 3.5/5 points. All participating beginners won at least one match. A successful experiment and definitely worth repeating.
Advanced Tournament
With two tournaments already on the schedule, a third couldn't be left out. Eventually, an advanced tournament was also organized. The final results reflected the players' rankings. Michael May played for the first time since 2021 and surprised Tom Schotte. However, due to losses against Brecht Van Damme and Nadja de Moor, he ultimately finished in second place. Tom Schotte won the tournament, while Brecht Van Damme finished third.