Kasparov
Travelled to 3 different places when Garry Kasparov came to Singapore last Sunday, as though I were the chess enthusiast I would like to be. Well, I'm not. I enjoy playing and studying the game but as with many things in life one procrastinates and gets distracted and I haven't touched chess in months.
First, 10am at Thomson CC for a 1-hour game analysis of one of Kasparov's game in the 90s, supposedly one of the most beautiful games in decades. If it was, some of the beauty was lost on me because Kasparov talked really fast and somewhat fleetingly. He spoke chess notation as though it were his second language, so "At this point I thought rook d7 would be the best action but if rook d7 white queen c6 my knight will have to go e5 and I will be in trouble if white pawn e4 or rook e1. Alternatively, rook d7 knight a4 and I will still be in trouble " is the kind of sentences he would rumble off in 4 seconds. There was a screen and a chess program shown of course, and I guess some background knowledge of the match would have helped, but overall I did not absorb as much as I could have if I were better prepared.
And then 2 Blitz exhibition matches against top Singaporean players and a brief talk by Kasparov on chess at Conrad Hotel's ballroom. Nice small hotel by the way, next to Millenia Walk. They provided the venue for free and threw in some snacks and coffee. This is the kind of Sunday I like, there's a kind of communal feel provided not just by the communion of people who share an interest but also by the generosity of opening up a posh place to not-so-posh people, a generosity that lifts the barrier between the aristocracy and bourgeoisie.
And then it was a simultaneous exhibition match against 22 players at Serangoon Gardens County Club. I've always wondered what is the point of such matches, because I've always assumed it wouldn't be challenging to the Grandmaster who does it; it doesn't really prove any point. (Same goes for a great chess player beating an intermediate player blindfolded - doesn't seem interesting). But having stayed for the duration of the match (he won every game) I can start to see why a top chess player would like to do it: by looking at a board and formulating a plan in under a minute it's a kind of affirmation to the level of chess he has attained. Chess has essentially become so ingrained in him that he can, presumably, play largely by intuition, and playing largely by a 'feeling' is in itself probably quite an intoxicating experience.
That's that. A couple of pictures below. For more, go here. Razor TV also has some tv clips that will give you a better idea of what went on.
First, 10am at Thomson CC for a 1-hour game analysis of one of Kasparov's game in the 90s, supposedly one of the most beautiful games in decades. If it was, some of the beauty was lost on me because Kasparov talked really fast and somewhat fleetingly. He spoke chess notation as though it were his second language, so "At this point I thought rook d7 would be the best action but if rook d7 white queen c6 my knight will have to go e5 and I will be in trouble if white pawn e4 or rook e1. Alternatively, rook d7 knight a4 and I will still be in trouble " is the kind of sentences he would rumble off in 4 seconds. There was a screen and a chess program shown of course, and I guess some background knowledge of the match would have helped, but overall I did not absorb as much as I could have if I were better prepared.
And then 2 Blitz exhibition matches against top Singaporean players and a brief talk by Kasparov on chess at Conrad Hotel's ballroom. Nice small hotel by the way, next to Millenia Walk. They provided the venue for free and threw in some snacks and coffee. This is the kind of Sunday I like, there's a kind of communal feel provided not just by the communion of people who share an interest but also by the generosity of opening up a posh place to not-so-posh people, a generosity that lifts the barrier between the aristocracy and bourgeoisie.
And then it was a simultaneous exhibition match against 22 players at Serangoon Gardens County Club. I've always wondered what is the point of such matches, because I've always assumed it wouldn't be challenging to the Grandmaster who does it; it doesn't really prove any point. (Same goes for a great chess player beating an intermediate player blindfolded - doesn't seem interesting). But having stayed for the duration of the match (he won every game) I can start to see why a top chess player would like to do it: by looking at a board and formulating a plan in under a minute it's a kind of affirmation to the level of chess he has attained. Chess has essentially become so ingrained in him that he can, presumably, play largely by intuition, and playing largely by a 'feeling' is in itself probably quite an intoxicating experience.
That's that. A couple of pictures below. For more, go here. Razor TV also has some tv clips that will give you a better idea of what went on.
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