Satranç Cologne Istanbul rematch (report)

Dear all,

please find here a report regarding our last Satranç  Cologne - Istanbul friendly rematch:

Cologne vs Istanbul, part two!

Approx 15 months ago, there was the 12th August 2012. At this date, a very small piece of chess history may have been written: Two city teams played online chess against each other, but sitting in together in a room, and not like usually in online tournaments anonymously at home.

This was a great event (see example report: ). The one or the other wished to play against each other Face to Face next time. The most common restricted resources for these in these cases kind of intentions are usually time and money.

After Walter Kluth (Former Cologne Muncipal Council and President of Cologne Istanbul Partnership Club) and Güven Manay (President of the Intercultural Chess Club Satranç Club 2000 e. V. in Cologne and also member of the City Partnership Club together with his wife) requested the necessary resources successfully from the sports office of the municipality of Cologne; and after Mr. Sait Riza Öney (President of the Istanbul Representation of Turkish Chess Federation), has been advised from Turkish Federation President Gülkiz Tülay to arrange a tournament venue together with the municipality of the Istanbul district Bakirköy, the detailed planning started.

As usual, the final organization had to be done asap. Within one day, the Cologne Team have been gathered together to enable the postings in time. Satranç Club achieved this, with a mixture of own club board members, players, and some spontaneously asked friendly title holders from other clubs. The city partnership club arranged the travel bookings then. The Istanbul Chess Friends arranged then players with comparable ratings, in order to enable a match of more or less comparable players.

Even two weeks before, the event was foreshadowing (of course with much smaller shadows like the Chess Wch or European Team Championship): Güven Manay visited the Istanbul Chess Club ISD, in which location last year the Istanbul part of the Online tournament took place. He took a thank you badge for his efforts to the game of Chess.

After an evening lunch of the tournament participants, close to the famous blue mosque (invited from the Istanbul Chess Friends), next day the tournament started at 16^th Nov 2013. The venue is located in the house of arts in Yesilköy, close to a beautiful marina.

In the presence of the culture and press responsible of the German Consulate in Istanbul, Harald Schindler, the City Council member of Bakirköy, Ugur Özhabes, and the organizational responsibles Riza Öney and Güven Manay, several thank you badges have been provided. Amongst these, there were greeting letters from German Chess Federation President Herbert Bastian to all participants, from Cologne Chess Federation (President Andreas Gerdau), from the Cologne Consul General of Turkish Republic, Hüseyin Emre Engin to the Istanbul German Consul General, Jutta Wolke. Chief arbiter in this ELO rated tournament was FIDE certified Cigdem Aktuz, who already had the honor to represent the arbiters in the swearing-in ceremony during Chess Olympiad 2012.

It would be possible to tell many stories about the different participants, and all of them are unique. Here just some examples. E. g. Fernando Braga, who is having already three GM norms, and who is waiting for the official confirmation of his title. He was responsible for school chess in the whole city of Madrid, until this topic has been closed there, because of the economic crisis in Spain. Then he came to Cologne. Mr. Braga was already at the annual meeting of Satranç Club, and he received a good popularity there immediately.

Or the multiple olympiad participant Eneida Perez de Luecke, who founded a chess village in the Dominican Republic and who is an artist. She provided three of her chess related artworks for a symbolic value to Satranç Club, which have been gratefully received from Sait Riza Öney on behalf of the Turkish Chess Federation.

Or the former Turkish national player Isil Goler, who lived years ago as an exchange student in Germany, and was member of Satranç Club. She now living in Turkey again and travelled from Ankara to this event, because she still feels herself connected to her Cologne Chess friends.

The Istanbul participants are of course not less interesting: Eg. IM Umut Atakisi, who visited already 2001 Satranç Club on their first significant event, which was a friendly match between a junior selection of the German and Turkish Chess Federation and the first intercultural tournament of Satranç Club in Cologne.

Or the highly talented 8 years old Isik Can, who already won the U7-School Chess World Championship and participated together with his also successful brother Melih Kaan. A great chess career is already forecasted for Isik Can.

Or the experienced FM and internist Ates Ülker, who was already Turkish Champion in 1985, and visited the club house of Satranç Club a few weeks before the tournament.

After symbolic opening moves from Mr. Özhabes and Mr. Schindler, the games started:

The Istanbul team won first round clearly with 6,5 : 2,5. Is was remarkable that some games were hardfought. The second round in the evening was equal for a long while, but after a time out in a winning position of Cologne, it ended 5,5 : 3,5 in favour of the Istanbul Team.

Because it was a friendly match, Gold Medals for all participants have been provided from Turkish Chess Federation, including Logos of both countries Federations for all sportswomen and sportsmen. The city of Bakirköy provided Turkish mocha sets, in order to remember the Turkish saying “Bir fincan kahvenin kirk yil hatiri var” (The analogous translation of this would be: “a cup of coffee lasts for 40 years of friendship”)

It is also remarkable that one of the players came in last minute to the venue, using the recently build, earthquake-proof transcontinental tunnel „Marmaray“ between the european and asian side of the multi-million city. Busy helpers in the background, like Mehmet Öney for Istanbul and Edgar Hennig for Cologne, enabled the live broadcast in Internet in both Germany and Turkiye. It may have increased the online audience rate, that already some people were online because of the world chess championship.

After a  Bosphorus tour at the post tournament  day, the Cologne participants, from which the majority was the first time in Istanbul, have had a bit broader picture of the city.

For the next time, it would be highly appreciated if (maybe even in 2014) that there would be a follow up event in Cologne. There is no doubt, that Cologne would like to win their first homematch in this small tournament series.

The next planned event of  Satranç Club is also a bit related to Istanbul: At 8 December, the 7^th intercultural speed chess tournament will take place in Cologne. 50 % of all entry fees will be sent to the Istanbul welfare organization ‚Umut Çocukları‚ (Hope for children).

Report: Güven Manay ( satranc2000.de )

Fotos: Mehmet Öney ( istanbul.tsf.org.tr )