Potpourri and other nonsense…
TROMSO: A DAY IN THE LIFE…
It is great fun just reading the tweets coming out of Tromso! Almost makes you feel like you are there, with the added benefit of having a REAL toilet close by! Enjoy!
Bringing the chess Olympiad to Tromso, and its 3-4 thousand players/ arbiters/ journalists/politicos/fans etc has to be a BIG boost to the local economy. This photo is of a local restaurant wanting to attract some of the visitors…nice touch! (Ofcourse, who could have predicted that the restaurant only needed to indicate that it has a REAL toilet inorder to do a booming business!)
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ALIENS?
Kirsan and his hat! Looks traditional. OR is it?
Signs. (Directed by Shyamalan,2002) The funny hats are to keep the aliens from reading your thoughts! Same shape as Kirsan’s hat…
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FATHERHOOD
Kasparov taking time off from his busy campaign schedule to be with his daughter. It is nice to see his human side…I somehow think that if Aida was his campaign manager/mascot, then Garry would have had a better chance to win!
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FASHION HORROR!
FIDE treasurer Nigel Freeman has been so often (unfairly) attacked and criticized during this FIDE election campaign by Kasparov’s camp that one almost feels sorry for him! On the other hand, no one has (yet) criticized him for his abominable taste in fashion! Let me start…UGLY!!
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Nigel Freeman and Nick Faulks organize what is one of the Olympiad’s greatest traditions: The Bermuda Party! Even my wife and I–when we both regularly participated in the Olympiads–attended some of them.
Here we can see players lining up for the doors to open. Recognize anyone? Lots of famous people. Conquest and Howell in great spirits. Usually the party would go on until they ran out of booze…probably hasn’t changed much since! Besides, in Norway there must be LOTS of alcohol…
Getting out of bed at 4:30 pm Tromso time! Now that is some party!
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‘SELFIE’ SPOT??
One of Tromso’s most popular spot! Aren’t ‘selfies’ great!!
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CHESS AND BEAUTY (and GATAS!)
Natalia Pogonina
Alexandra Botez
LINK
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CANADA ties USA 2-2!
Out rated by about 100 points per board, Canada performed solidly. One win (Sambuev) two draws and one loss (Aman). Israel tomorrow!
Sambuev played a great game, attacking, attacking and attacking until Akobian tired and blundered.
gm Akobian
gm Sambuev
Position after 24 moves of play. Two pawns down (!) but with beautifully coordinated pieces, Sambuev struck with the terribly strong 25.Bxh6! Crushing (See game HERE)
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TOPALOV AND KRAMNIK EPIC CLASH
