Musings on chess, and lesser things
(I wrote the following after the game last night, but couldn’t get internet until this morning.) 10pm (and -9 degrees) here on a peaceful Siberian Sunday night, and I am buggered. By way of update, I am grimly clinging on to my spot in the tournament, managing to hold a 95-move ending against our Cuban …
It’s the morning of the second day, and naturally I won’t write much – there’s preparation to be done. Yesterday was a great day, and not just from a results perspective. The World Cup is an amazing experience; having all these iconic chess players wandering around me was quite dazzling. I felt a little like …
After an extended delay, we are finally coming to you live from Khanty-Mansiysk, host city of the World Chess Cup. The trip here, despite being intra continental, has been arduous. An extra day in London was used to the full, and Manuel eventually picked Fi and I up from right outside Big Ben, next to …
We’re still in London – but we’re not supposed to be! Apparently, FinnAir pilots are on strike, and so our flights to Ekaterinburg via Helsinki last night were cancelled. Fortunately, we’re jumping on a Lufthansa flight tonight through Frankfurt, which will get us to Siberia in time for the domestic flight to Khanty-Mansiysk, but it’s …
Two in the morning, and the typical body clock confusion has set in. Plenty of sleep still to be had, but the body just doesn’t seem to care – “Breakfast?” Still, at least we’re on solid ground. It took 36 hours all up from getting on the plane in Canberra to finally disembarking at Heathrow. …
Khanty-Mansiysk is a tiny little oil town in deepest Siberia. About 50,000 locals make up this snow-covered community that is only notable for the occasional Winter biathlon, a signature frozen fish dish… and chess tournaments. This month, it plays host to the World Chess Cup, a 128-player knockout event featuring some of the best players in the …
Welcome to my blog. Almost immediately after its conception, my housemate Alana had a go at me for this page’s slightly narcissistic address. It’s hard to argue, but rest assured, her colourful commentary on the world is usually far more entertaining, and will no doubt be a regular feature of this page (if I manage to keep it updated).