Olympiad 2014: Penultimate night
A lot’s happened, and I’ve been neglecting my updates. I guess that just means plenty of post-Tromsoø updates. For now, here are the cliff notes:
- Australia is having an awesome Olympiad. Unfortunately, in tomorrow’s final round we have a very tough pairing: Germany. On the other hand, an upset win would I believe give us the best ever performance by an Australian Olympiad team.
- After an awesome start, I’ve been struggling in the second half of the tournament, and go into tomorrow’s game after two losses in a row.
- Kasparov lost the FIDE election, but threw a really swell party. I wrote a little parody song for the event, but my performers (Liz Pähtz and Nigel Short) chickened out at the last moment. So I’m publishing the lyrics below.
That’s it. Big game tomorrow; I’m playing super-GM Arkadij Naiditsch. I’ve been waiting 18 years (not really) to get revenge for when he beat me in the under-12s in 1996. More importantly, I don’t want to experience queenside castling again (e.g. here and here). But even more significantly than my own performance: Who’s gonna win gold? Could China really win gold in both the men’s and women’s Olympiads? Stay tuned.
Silent Chess
Silent night, Holy night
Midnight light, Far too bright
Every two years, O-lim-pi-ad,
So much fun if you, don’t play too bad
The joy just seems to inc-reease,
O-ops, I’ve blundered a piece.
Fi-irst rest night, Ber-mu-da night,
Not the same, without a fight
Have a drink, and a laugh, and a dance
Watch those looking for chessy romance.
Don’t do something you’ll re-gret
With a GM you’ve just met.
Silent chess, Holy chess
Th’ best two weeks, I must confess
Meeting people from around the globe
Even fun for a FIDE-o-phobe
So, to you I say che-ers,
See you in two-o more years.