The weather was cold and windy. The daily routine was simple, I would walk on the sand dunes and beach in the morning with my dog, play a tournament round in the afternoon, and eat in one of the many nice restaurants in the evening where chess sets are set up for analysis and informal playing.
The whole village lives chess during the tournament. It is enough just to be there. I stayed at a very nice hotel with hospitable hosts. The other Danes competing (Lars-Henrik Bech Hansen og Niels Andersen) also stayed at the same hotel which was nice.
The tournament is unique with a proud tradition of 75 years. For the worlds elite it is the top tournament of every year. This year, Carlsen, Anand, Aronian, Caruana, Karjakin, Nakamura, Yifan were among 14 players in the top GM group A. And there were also 28 other top players in the GM groups B and C. As you know, Carlsen was a clear winner of group A with 10/13!
For us amateurs it is also unique. We (620 of us in the 10 man groups) play in the same playing hall (De Moriaan) as the GMs and it is inspiring to watch the GMs play and follow their games. All games start at the same time (13.30) at the sound of a deep gong, after which there is deep silence as 660 players start their games.
When my games finished I would buy a bowl of the traditional pea soup in the little kiosk in the hall, stroll up to the GM area and watch the other GMs play, or take a beer with my opponent in the De Moriaan bar, always full of boisterous and fun loving Dutch chess enthusiasts. A great atmosphere everywhere. One of the nicest traditions is the end of tournament dinner and prize giving which not only the GMs but also the amateurs are invited to, free of charge. Pea soup, sandwiches and large quantity of wine.
I played in one of the many (60 in all) amateur 10 player groups, 9 rounds. My opponents were tough fighters. I got 4/9, about expected. I made a disastrous start with 0/2 then recovered by winning the next two games, only to spoil my performance with a loss in the last round which hurt a bit.
Generally, I was not satisfied with my play as there were too many positional mistakes (wrong exchanges and pawn advances) and bad plans in early middlegame, but I was good as finding resources when my opponent overplayed. The Tata Steel chess tournament is a wonderful chess experience and I know I will want to return yet again.
