It was the final qualifier for the BC closed chess championship, and players packed the gymnasium of the Douglas Park Community School in Langley City over the Labour Day weekend.
A record 140 player attended the 17th edition of the Langley Open 2024 Chess Tournament, hosted by the Langley Chess Club in collaboration with LangleyCity-based Fraser Valley Chess Academy.
Top ranked chess players are competing in the 17th edition of the Langley Open 2024 Chess Tournament. It is the best -attended iteration yet with a prize fund of $4,000 across various sections. pic.twitter.com/hufLEWJl8H
— Langley Advance Times (@LangleyTimes) August 31, 2024
Event organizer Brian Davidson called it "the biggest iteration we've ever had."
For many of the players, the Open was their last shot at the provincial event this fall, Davidson explained.
"If you're a chess player and you wanted to play for the BC championship, you can qualify [based on your] rating or by winning a qualifying tournament, so we get a lot of lot of players that are kind of on the bubble who come out and try to win this and get to the BC Closed," Davidson told the Langley Advance Times.
"There's three or four ex-B.C. champs playing in this, and we have a couple of IM [International Master ranking].
Umang Banatwala, cofounder of the Fraser Valley Chess Academy and secretary of the BC Chess Federation told the Langley Advance Times some players came from as far away as Kelowna, Penticton, Victoria, and a "few folks from Seattle."
"There's a lot of logistics and teamwork involved in, putting up an event like this," Banatwala said.
Former B.C. champion John Dokjnas of Surrey was the overall victor, scoring five wins and one draw in six rounds. It was the third time he’s won the tournament.
Runner up was John’s brother and current BC chess champion Neil Doknjas, who scored five wins and a loss, to his brother, in six rounds.
The second tier section for players was won by Murrayville resident James Kerry with five wins and a draw.
All three players were past or current Langley Chess club members.
The club meets at the Brookswood Senior Citizens building at 19899 36 Ave. on Monday nights at 7 pm.
More information can be found at langleychess.com and fraservalleychess.com.
