Musings on chess, and lesser things
It’s tough to write an update right now – my captain even advised me to stay away from the blog for a while – but I should at least give a brief piece about the state of play after the final round. It’s been a very tough few days for me after the somewhat tragic …
Australia’s had a topsy turvy tournament to date, with a couple of matches going either for or against us with the dreaded 2.5-1.5 scoreline. We’ve also had some favourable pairings, and to be honest, with four rounds to go, our score is a little flattering considering the company we keep on the boards around us. Aleks …
The internet has finally returned to the hotel and playing venue, much to the relief of a thousand frustrated chessites. So much to report, so little time… The men’s team drew 2-2 with an understrength Norwegian outfit. There were two decisive games: Max eskewed a draw and eventually lost, while in a somewhat ironic twist, …
Istanbul: Hot, raining. Olympiad hotel: Crowded, buzzing, excited. It’s day one of the World Chess Olympiad, and the Aussie team is just about to head to the playing hall for round one. I’m being rested today against Namibia, so hopefully I’ll have time to write something a little more substantial as I watch the opening …
A friend introduced me to the Doghouse Diaries webcomic, and I just couldn’t help but repost. Original site is here: http://thedoghousediaries.com/4477
The author’s postscript:
OK wait, before you send me hate mail for my potentially inaccurate portrayal of an Aussie playing chess, let me just say I’ve never actually played chess with an Aussie, so I’m not certain that they actually say “checkmate”. Just as they call sunglasses “Sunnies”, and Mosquitos “Mossies”, it’s possible that they call checkmate “Checksies”. -Raf
Chessbase has started a little online debate thanks to King-Ming Tiong’s comparison between chess and the deliberate losing by some of the teams in the Olympic badminton. Unfortunately, as often happens in online chess forums, the debate has really missed the mark, focussing solely on ‘grandmaster draws’ and pointing out (rightly) that badminton doesn’t have …
It’s such a shame that there aren’t more marketed “holiday tournaments”. Of course, it’s not easy for organisers: you need the right combination of weather, tourist attractions, accessibility and a budget that allows one round a day with a rest day or two thrown in for good measure. Murray Chandler’s Queenstown Classic has got the …
I’ve delayed wrapping up the report of the Curaçao chess festival because I’ve been without internet on a tiny little Caribbean island called Bonaire, swimming with turtles, windsurfing – you know, the usual post-chess comedown. More on that later. Given the division of interests from visitors to davidsmerdon.com, you’ll find most of the non-chess shenanigans (and …
Two thirds of the way through the tournament, Robbie and I are locked in a two horse race for the title, and the pairings really are starting to become bizarre. (By the way, the tournament website is http://www.curacaochess.net/ ) The two of us have taken to a serious, no-nonsense schedule every day: lazy breakfasts, tourist …
With only 14 players in the main section of the 9-round Open, the pairings are going to get weird really soon. The top two seeds met already in round three, with my roommate Robbie and I slugging it out in a real coffeehouse classic. On move five I found myself faced with the white side …