Stuck at the Kiddies’ Table

Round five, the last before the rest day, and yet another chance for us to make it into the ‘top room’.  The tournament hall is divided into two rooms:  the larger, main playing hall for us plebs, and the smaller hall for the top boards, specifically the top 27 men’s boards.  And, as fate would have it, Australia has played on board 28 – twice.

For me, it’s not that big a deal.  The main playing hall is bigger and somehow more friendly, and after all, we’re not playing badly.  But for most of the Aussies, and particularly those relatively new to Olympiads, it’s a source of consternation.  After all, the top chessplayers in the world are just a wall away, and the chance to walk among them comes along rarely.  But you need to be a player in the top room to walk the corridors – the rest of us are constrained to the kiddies’ table.

Unfortunately, yesterday a win or even a draw against Peru would have catapulted us upwards, but we went down by the smallest of margins.  Unluckily, too; Yuan was winning, Darryl was slightly better and George played the sort of attack that only a superhuman could diffuse.

On the other hand, the girls rounded out a 4-0 romping of Pakistan to join us on an even score.  It was nice for Vaness to get her first win in an Olympiad, even though it had its share of controversy when her opponent deliberately played two moves in a row…

Kasparov dropped in yesterday, and the women’s team all got their photos with the world’s greatest player.  Previously, Karpov has been milling around and also getting his picture snapped, but he looks far more distracted – the Fide presidential elections are only a few days away.  Our guide Anastasia has told us that her and her colleagues have been instructed to be on the lookout for any signs of bribery of national delegates in the lead up to this election (which, as I have previously reported, has already had its fair share of drama). 

In other news, in brief:

– The weather has turned terrible.  Biting cold winds and harrowing fog gives me the distinct feeling that we will see snow by the end.  Suddenly the place is looking a lot more familiar…

– The lifts continue to be a problem, but less so now as the more impatient players resort to the stairs.   However, the drawback to the stairs is that one has to venture outside the building to get back in on the ground floor – see above for the climactic issues this presents.

– The food remains awesome, and the Wallmart-style dining hall greeter girl is a nice touch and is very popular with the participants (particularly the men).  However, the meal times are a little strange.  Breakfast doesn’t open until 8am, while dinner doesn’t start until 8pm – both unusually late for a hotel.  Meanwhile, the fitness centre doesn’t open until 9am – curiouser and curiouser.  But the food, as I mentioned, is outstanding.

– The room cleaning is a little odd.  I know they’ve been in my room as the doona is usually straightened, but I’m not sure what else they do – check my bag for roubles, perhaps?  Neither the towels or sheets are changed, but in the latter case this is because there aren’t any.  But the rooms are warm, and asI have previously stated, the showers are (literally) out of this world.

– The bar downstairs becomes an absolute hub of activity after 10 p.m., but the beers are quite expensive – about AU $9 a pint.  Meanwhile, at the supermarket, half-litre beers are roughly $1.75.  Neverless, it’s nice to mingle with your fellow participants downstairs, especially considering the reports I’m hearing from the teams stuck in hotels out in the forest.

–  Tonight is the famous (infamous?) Bermuda Party, always held before the rest day at each Olympiad, and organised and sponsored by the Bermudan team.  There was a risk that it wouldn’t go ahead this year as the Bermudans threatened to boycott on account of rude organisational mismanagement, but of course such an iconic event would never be allowed to falter.  It’s very conveniently located in a niteclub only 200 metres from our hotel, and all Aussies will be making an appearance, however brief.  However, I feel for those players in the remote hotels – a drunken stumble home through the Siberian forest is a recipe for becoming Bear Fodder, so Anastasia tells us…

Today we play Moldova, with Yuan playing one of the great attacking giants of modern chess: Victor Bologan.  Of only slightly lower importance, St Kilda plays Collingwood in the AFL grandfinal, which has just started.  Solo and Darryl are absolute die-hard St Kilda supporters, and are currently listening online to the broadcast.  Perhaps all the inspiration we need?