Amsterdam Chess Open
About us
We are a six-member tournament committee from Amsterdam with a passion for tournament chess. We would like to briefly introduce ourselves here!
Chairman: Jan Timmerman
Jan is a versatile personality with a passion for chess. He is chairman of the Amsterdam Chess Open and teaches Commercial Economics at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. As a board member of the Caïssa chess club and a participant in various competitions and tournaments, he has built up an extensive network in the Amsterdam chess world. Jan is known for his enthusiasm and his (often too) offensive playing style, such as his favorite opening, the King's Gambit.
Secretary: Jim van der Valk Bouman
Jim van der Valk Bouman introduces Tornelo to the Amsterdam chess scene with the Amsterdam Open. With a background in mathematics and a lifelong fascination with competitive games, he has focused on chess in recent years. As co-founder of chess club Zwart op Wit, he is regularly involved in taking care of the internal competition, with consistently fair divisions being a spearhead. As a chess player, Jim is strategic and cautious, with favorite openings being the Pirc and d4.
Treasurer: Martin Blom
Martin Blom (left) is treasurer of the board. He has had his passion for mind sports since primary school when he was a fanatical drafts player. During his student days he focused on poker and since 2022 he has been involved in the world of chess. If white Martin opens 1.d4 by default and if black he defends with 1….c6. In daily life, Martin works as a lawyer.
PR coordinator: Joppe Bolderman
Joppe has already organized a few things during his student days, and with the Amsterdam Open he wants to take this experience into the chess world. He learned how the pieces moved as a child, but it wasn't until two years ago when his roommate invited him to play chess that he really became fascinated with the game. He is now a board member of chess club Zwart op Wit and works as a promotion coordinator on the website, social media and of course the promotion of the event. His favorite opening line is the Marshall Attack in Spanish.
Coordinator personnel and logistics: Maurice Buzink
Maurice Buzink is the logistics organizer of the Amsterdam Open. As a child he played chess for a while, but stopped before high school, but never really lost the passion for chess. Now as co-founder and chairman of Zwart op Wit, fanatically playing chess again. Maurice's playing style is characterized by liking to play with at least 1 piece behind.
Organizational professional: Marjolein Aarten
Marjolein started playing chess at around 5 years old, but stopped playing at high school and only found her way back to the chess board at a later age. She is the organizational professional for the Amsterdam Chess Open and in daily life she is Executive Producer at the production company KAOS Amsterdam. Every Thursday is her chess-volunteer-day! You can find her at the Max Euwe Centrum as a conservator and on Thursday evening she teaches chess at her chess club Amsterdam West. Marjolein is known for her peaceful openings, but will for sure come at you with aggression later on!
