The second Berlin U25 Open concluded successfully last weekend. With 308 players from 29 countries, the tournament took place at the Beethoven Gymnasium in Berlin-Lankwitz, attracting an impressive international chess community. The smooth organization was thanks to the tremendous dedication of volunteers and an experienced organizing team.
On Saturday, October 19th, preparations began under the coordination of Chief Arbiter Carsten Haase and club chairman Torsten Rose. Especially dedicated to the setup were Jonas Kreutz, Christoph Campora, Kristin Schäfer, Jim Sohr, Christian Ermler, Daniel Rose, Jonas Liu, Guiquan Weng, Michael Busch, Kerstin Bonte, and Octavio Rusell. Ralf Ettel, Equipment Manager of the Berlin Chess Federation, supported the team, going above and beyond his official duties. The volunteers ensured that the chessboards and equipment were optimally set up for the event, and that the live broadcast was ready to digitally accompany the tournament.
The tournament kicked off with a blitz tournament on Sunday, October 20th, setting the participants in the mood for the main event.
Carsten Haase and Torsten Rose opened the main tournament on Monday. This year, 60 titled players, including six Grandmasters, took part. The top boards of the A-Open were set up in the spectator area of the cafeteria, allowing fans to follow the games of the Grandmasters and International Masters live. Rashid Abed led the catering efforts with his dedicated team, which included Jürgen Schilke, Emilia John, Kristin Schäfer, Tina Thümler, Nils Goldmann, Christoph Kriminski, Kirsten Born, Quan Weng, Phillipp Sandlers, Alexander John, Kerstin Bonte, Yago Duppel, and Maike Haase.
Thanks to open communication within the arbiters’ team—comprised of Carsten Haase, Matthias Bandlow, Dr. Andreas Junk, Robert Radke, Rolf Trenner, Niclas Hofmann, and René-Reiner Starke—the atmosphere remained positive throughout the tournament. Carsten Haase also took on numerous logistical tasks at the venue, contributing significantly to the tournament’s smooth operation. Rolf Trenner managed the DGT boards with the strong support of Ufuk Tuncer, whose help was essential for the live broadcast.
This year, the C-Open was supported by Chess Tigers, a renowned chess shop. The C-Tournament awards ceremony took place on Friday, where many young talents achieved their first German Chess Federation ratings (DWZ).
The tournament reached its peak over the weekend with the final rounds of the A- and B-Opens. After an outstanding performance, GM Paulius Pultinevičius won the A-Open and took home the top prize, followed by GM Szymon Gumularz and GM Gergely Kantor. Unfortunately, all norms seekers fell short of the required points in the final round. Especially disappointed was Johannes Tschernatsch, who met all criteria except the minimum number of titled opponents. In the B-Open, Oleksandr Zhukovskyi triumphed with an impressive 8 out of 9 possible points. Lorenz Beyer took second place, followed by David Martirosyan.
Another highlight was the stream on the final day, where Matthias Blübaum provided live commentary on the decisive games on the German Chess Federation’s Twitch channel (twitch.tv/schachdeutschlandtv). The live commentary drew a large audience and offered exciting insights into the top players’ games.
With satisfied participants and unforgettable memories, this strong U25 youth chess tournament set a new standard once again. The organizers are already looking forward to planning the third edition of the Berlin U25 Open next year.
