36th World Othello Championship, Leeuwarden
World Othello Championship 2012 introduction
Lots of top players with over 2200 rating have registered: 2009 and 2010 WOC Yusuke Takanashi (JPN), 2011 runner-up Piyanat Aunchulee (THA), Kazuki Okamoto (JPN), Seiya Kurita (JPN), 2008 WOC and 2010 runner-up Michele Borassi (ITA), Wachiraphan Huraphan (THA), Nicky van den Biggelaar (NLD), 2009 runner-up Matthias Berg (DEU), Dominik Nowak (POL), Takuji Kashiwabara (FRA), Chun Yip Tsoi (HKG), Roberto Sperandio (ITA), 1983 runner-up Imre Leader (GBR), 1993 and 1998 runner-up Emmanuel Caspard (FRA).
Arthur Juigner is on team Switzerland. The young player from France played an excellent first WOC last year in Newark at the age of 9 (14th with 7.5 points).
Bintsa Andriani is welcomed back after a 3-year ban and will continue to play for Madagascar.
Twelve ladies have signed up: Akke-Lien de Boer (BEL), Marlis Elger (DEU), Caroline Nicolas (FRA), Marie Lightman (GBR), Linda Praseptyo (IDN), WOC (f) runner-up in 2005 Mami Yamanaka (JPN), 2010 WOC (f) Champion Jiska Helmes (NLD), Kasia Zieba (POL), Elena Averina (RUS), WOC (f) runner-up in 2009 and 2010 Veronica Stenberg (SWE), Duangkamol Sokunkate (THA) and 2011 WOC (f) Champion Jian Cai (USA).
Mami Yamanaka won the Meijin (f), and Ouza-sen (f) this year, Jian Cai is the US National Champion. At the Thailand Sosuco open in July, Duangkamol Sokunkate became ladies champion, but also took the third place in the main category. Kasia Zieba won the Ladies Polish Championship and 2010 female champion Jiska Helmes was finalist at the female Meijin this year. I think the fight for the ladies trophy will be very exciting. If I have to name the top 4, I would say, Mami, Duangkamol, Jian and Jiska.
The WOC 2012 poster shows that this year......, it's all about the ladies.
Additional WOC pages on Othello News:
Arthur Juigner is on team Switzerland. The young player from France played an excellent first WOC last year in Newark at the age of 9 (14th with 7.5 points).
Bintsa Andriani is welcomed back after a 3-year ban and will continue to play for Madagascar.
Twelve ladies have signed up: Akke-Lien de Boer (BEL), Marlis Elger (DEU), Caroline Nicolas (FRA), Marie Lightman (GBR), Linda Praseptyo (IDN), WOC (f) runner-up in 2005 Mami Yamanaka (JPN), 2010 WOC (f) Champion Jiska Helmes (NLD), Kasia Zieba (POL), Elena Averina (RUS), WOC (f) runner-up in 2009 and 2010 Veronica Stenberg (SWE), Duangkamol Sokunkate (THA) and 2011 WOC (f) Champion Jian Cai (USA).
Mami Yamanaka won the Meijin (f), and Ouza-sen (f) this year, Jian Cai is the US National Champion. At the Thailand Sosuco open in July, Duangkamol Sokunkate became ladies champion, but also took the third place in the main category. Kasia Zieba won the Ladies Polish Championship and 2010 female champion Jiska Helmes was finalist at the female Meijin this year. I think the fight for the ladies trophy will be very exciting. If I have to name the top 4, I would say, Mami, Duangkamol, Jian and Jiska.
The WOC 2012 poster shows that this year......, it's all about the ladies.
Additional WOC pages on Othello News:
- WOC 2012 Results
- List of players
- Hall of Fame: read about the "seeded players" and participating WOC Champions
- Pictures
- Media
- WOC History: tourney results since 1977
The World Othello Championship head sponsor is Anjar Co.
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Leeuwarden, World Othello ChampionshipThe 36th World Othello Championship will be held in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, November 7 - 10, 2012. The venue will be the Eden Oranje Hotel, Leeuwarden.
The tournament will be organised by the World Othello Federation and the Dutch Othello Federation.
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WOC poster designed by Sido Helmes
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Japan, what a super team!!!!!!
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link to results and standings woc2012.nl
link to results and standings liveothello.nl
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Introducing Tor Birger
Tor Birger is 46 years old, married and has a daughter age 17. He works as head of a department of software developers in the Norwegian Armed Forces.
Tor Birger plays Othello since 1988 and was co-founder of the Norwegian Othello Federation that same year. He has participated in the World Othello Championship 5 times and was Tournament Director of the 2008 WOC in Oslo.
Since 2010 he holds the position of secretary in the World Othello Federation council. He is running for the post of WOF president at the next annual WOF meeting in november. That's why Othello News asked him a few questions.
Tor, what are you plans for the WOF, if you get elected?
I want to make the WOF more visible. This can be done for example by improving the information provided through the WOF website. I also think the communication with the member nations should be better. We have very competent candidates for all the confederation positions in the new WOC council. It is important that the representatives for the confederations establish good relations with the countries in the region. There are a lot of countries that only have a contact person. I hope WOF can help them to establish national Othello federations, so we can see Othello grow all over the world.
You seem to have a vision for the future of the WOF.
Yes, I also think it is important to follow up the initiatives from the 2011 WOF meeting. At this meeting it was decided to set more clearly defined criteria to differentiate between the two types of WOF member nations; Federations and Countries with Contact Persons. At the same meeting there was talk about new WOC rules. Neither of these initiatives has been completed yet. This means that the responsibility to finalize these matters will be on the new WOF council.
And the future of the World Othello Championship?
As you know there is a conflict between Anjar and Megahouse. WOF is not a part in the discussion, but I feel it is important for the WOF to have a good dialogue with both, so that we can continue to organize annual tournaments to decide the best Othello player in the world.
Thanks for the interview Tor and good luck at the election.
October 29th 2012
Update: Tor got elected as president of the WOF on Nov 10th
Tor Birger plays Othello since 1988 and was co-founder of the Norwegian Othello Federation that same year. He has participated in the World Othello Championship 5 times and was Tournament Director of the 2008 WOC in Oslo.
Since 2010 he holds the position of secretary in the World Othello Federation council. He is running for the post of WOF president at the next annual WOF meeting in november. That's why Othello News asked him a few questions.
Tor, what are you plans for the WOF, if you get elected?
I want to make the WOF more visible. This can be done for example by improving the information provided through the WOF website. I also think the communication with the member nations should be better. We have very competent candidates for all the confederation positions in the new WOC council. It is important that the representatives for the confederations establish good relations with the countries in the region. There are a lot of countries that only have a contact person. I hope WOF can help them to establish national Othello federations, so we can see Othello grow all over the world.
You seem to have a vision for the future of the WOF.
Yes, I also think it is important to follow up the initiatives from the 2011 WOF meeting. At this meeting it was decided to set more clearly defined criteria to differentiate between the two types of WOF member nations; Federations and Countries with Contact Persons. At the same meeting there was talk about new WOC rules. Neither of these initiatives has been completed yet. This means that the responsibility to finalize these matters will be on the new WOF council.
And the future of the World Othello Championship?
As you know there is a conflict between Anjar and Megahouse. WOF is not a part in the discussion, but I feel it is important for the WOF to have a good dialogue with both, so that we can continue to organize annual tournaments to decide the best Othello player in the world.
Thanks for the interview Tor and good luck at the election.
October 29th 2012
Update: Tor got elected as president of the WOF on Nov 10th
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