2010 GIBTELECOM CHESS FESTIVAL

[Mick Norris]

Latest from the website:

"John Saunders reports: The games between the leaders were all drawn this morning so that meant we would definitely have a play-off situation. There were a number of other decisive results, Seven players so far have tied in the top score group and four of them with the best TPRs go forward to play off for the first prize. They are: Jan Gustafsson (GER), Michael Adams (ENG), Paco Vallejo Pons (ESP) and Chand Sandipan (IND). The play-off draw is due to take place at 17:00 GMT+1 (16:00 UK time). This will be followed by two-game semi-finals, with a probable time control of 10 minutes with 10 second increments. More news when we have it."

[LozCooper]

Congratulations to Mickey Adams on winning the play-offs and capturing the 1st prize at Gibraltar. His strong nerves helped him through what must have been 5 very tense rapid/blitz games.

[Ian Thompson]

Hope you guys are tuning in - we have live commentary from GM Stuart Conquest from the official site...

http://www.gibraltarchesscongress.com/g ... ntary.html

I see that the livestream website says "Unfortunately, gibraltarchess has been permanently deleted. All of gibraltarchess's videos will no longer be available." Are they available anywhere else? I wanted to watch one of the 9pm sessions that I missed when it was live.

[John Saunders]

The disappearance of the videos came as a surprise to me. Thank you for drawing my attention to it. I have asked the question of various people in authority at the congress and hope to have an answer as soon as possible.

[Jonathan Rogers]

From the point of view of the armchair follower back in England, who did not get to meet Spassky or Carlsen but could only follow the games themselves, I have to say that the tournament was pretty turgid and, given the calibre of those competing, remarkably devoid of interest.

This is because even though 20 boards were in progress, on virtually every single day there was just one Englishman among the 40 names, and by no means all the foreign 2550+ players were "chess household" names either; and because in most of rounds 4-8, umpteen games were drawn presumably because some (I do not say all) competitors saved their energy for the final two games when the direction of the money would really be settled. This seems to have been reflected on this thread, where comments on the event quickly dried up and interest only returned at the very end.

Does this bother the organisers? In particular, is cultivating interest among the English chess community one of their aims at all?

[John Hickman]

From the point of view of the armchair follower back in England, who did not get to meet Spassky or Carlsen but could only follow the games themselves, I have to say that the tournament was pretty turgid and, given the calibre of those competing, remarkably devoid of interest?

Well it's a shame you thought it so. I found Stuart Conquest's live commentary very enjoyable.

[Jonathan Rogers]

Good. That no doubt was a redeeming feature, as was also the play off for first prize. But I was referring to the chess and in particular the lack of British participation.

[John Saunders]

I see that the livestream website says "Unfortunately, gibraltarchess has been permanently deleted. All of gibraltarchess's videos will no longer be available." Are they available anywhere else? I wanted to watch one of the 9pm sessions that I missed when it was live.

I've investigated further. Gibtelecom decided to terminate the Livestream service because it was costing money to keep it online after the tournament. However, they have stored all the videos so they are not lost to posterity, thank heavens. The organisers are going to look at various options for making them available in due course.

[Simon Spivack]

Chess at Gibraltar rears its ugly head again. I have been asked to post this rather fractious epistle from a non-indigenous native.

There has been a festival of chess every year in this overseas territory for far longer than many of my colleagues can remember. Yet, every time the commentariat move their gaze away from that which is Caissa's, there is only one, admittedly photogenic, topic that comes up. It is getting rather soporific. Sure Churchill, in accord with local custom and superstition, did the necessary during WWII and flew in reinforcements. This can all be found in his epic bore The Second World War. Although, certainly, we do think this was the decisive victory of that war.

However, before the Second World War came the First, also known as the Great War, even though my kind was not committed so directly. It provides a superb example of my favourite themes: England v Germany, the futility of war and Gibraltar. I insist it be used any time a Hanoverian takes on an Englishman at chess on the Rock.

Long, long ago, long before the Great Siege of Gibraltar, before even the ear of poor Captain Jenkins was severed, there was another one (siege, not ear - S.S.). I turn to the expert testimony of Deneys Reitz, a Boer who fought in both the Boer War and the Great War.

The R.S.F had taken over three hundred prisoners, and these were standing about in batches, shaken and miserable, as well they might be after the terrible bombardment they had suffered. They belonged to the 97th Hanoverian Regiment, and strangely enough each man had the word "Gibraltar" embroidered on his left sleeve. When I asked one of their officers the meaning of this, he said with a grin that it was a British battle honour conferred on their regiment for having assisted the English at the siege of Gibraltar in 1705.

The initials R.S.F are an abbreviation of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. This scene took place towards the close of the war. It can be found on page 261, penultimate paragraph, starting from the second sentence of the book Trekking On, published by Faber and Faber in the 1930s.

So, every time the Hanoverian wins at chess, it counts as vengeance, an English win merely piles on the misery. But, stop and think, does this not illustrate perfectly the folly of war and the disturbing nature of shifting alliances? Why can't this be included in a report on Gibraltar?

Yours ever,

Herakles,

Chief of the Barbar troop.

Some readers may be thinking that this is a spoof, for Herakles is a Greek name and therefore cannot be a Barbarian. Really? that was millennia ago; all sorts of names are now permissible, especially this name for one who lives on one of the Pillars of Herakles.

Herakles' complaint deserves to be taken seriously.