World Ladies Tournament in Jinan
Report by Ali Nihat Yazici
First the chess. We are able to bring you some of the games from the first
six rounds. They were collected from the Chinese web sites by Mark Crowther
of TWIC in a heroic
effort. Many of the gamescores are not available, and Mark has inserted empty
games with the correct results, so we are able to generate a proper cross table.
Rounds 3rd and 4th round were organised in San Jian Group Building. It is
a fantastic, modern, 19 storey structure. The San Jian Group is also main sponsor
of the tournament. The CEO of the San Jian Group is Mr. Wang Zhensheng. This
gentleman was born a nice person. He loves chess and likes to sponsor it.
Chess sponsor Wang Zhensheng starts the game Zhu Chen vs Almira Skripchenko
... after which the battle begins in earnest
Wang Zhensheng is the head of Shandong Sanjian Group, is an extremely warm
and pleasant person. In spite of his importance he remains very accessible,
looks after his guests in the kindest possible way, making everyone feel very
much at home. His generosity, and the generosity of all the people involved
in the stageing of this chess event, is striking.
With a history of over fifty years and total assets exceeding RMB (Chinese
Yuan) 1.4 billion, the Shandong Sanjian Group is a state-owned enterprise with
comprehensive functions such as domestic and overseas overall contracts, construction
design and research, construction of public and high-rise buildings, equipment
installation, real estate supply and sale of goods and materials, domestic
and international trade, mineral resource development, pharmacy, film and TV
making, advertisement, education and investment. In 2002, it realized RMB 5.01
billion in total output value and RMB 420 million in profit and tax. 1 USD
is equal to 8.25 Chinese Yuan approximately.
Ali Nihat Yazici with Wang Zhensheng and top Chinese GM Ye Jiangchuan
in the San Jian Headquarter Office
Wang Zhensheng loves to study the world globe in his study. Pointing to the
Chinese territories he says: "Among all the cities here, Jinan City in
Shandong Province is my favorite; and in Jinan, it is the SanJian Group that
strikes me most. In 1978 when I was 29, I retired from military service in
the PLA to work in this group, and now I am already 54 years old. That means
I have been working in this enterprise for 25 years. This learning carrier
has benefited me a lot. During this period, my colleagues and I have experienced
many hardships, difficulties, anxieties, uncertainties and problems. However,
I never forget choosing this enterprise and contributing the best of my life
to it.’
Thanks to Mr. Zhensheng, who has promised to sponsor next year event, on an
even bigger scale.
Simultaneous exhibition
On Friday the twelve beautiful ladies playing in this tournament gave a simultaneous
exhibition for Jinan to children. The event was sponsored by Mazda Plaza of
Jinan. The ladies played and played and played, the children were so hungry
for chess. Some of the games were really tough.
The Mazda Plaza car dealership in Jinan where the simultaneous exhibition
was held
Chess hungry kids waiting for the simultaneous players to appear
At last the ladies have arrived and the games can begin
Western chess queens against Chinese children
Veronika Machalova of Slovakia hard at work
The head of the Mazda Plaza is fascinated by the performance
Iranian beauty Shirin Navabi in the simul
A young player who gave Iriana Krush a really tough time
A five-year-old opponent, a mean Dragon player, is interviewed by the
media
Vera Nebolsina with the chief organiser Liu Wei after the simul
The players and the Mazda team at the end of the simultaneous exhibition
Impressions
Now for some impressions from Jinan, where we are overcome by the friendliness
and hospitality of the people – not just the organisers and dignitaries,
but the population we encounter on our trips around the city.
The streets of Jinan, with cars, busses and of course the bicycle rider
Lunch in a beautiful Chinese barbecue restaurant, with the usual delicious
food
One of our hosts teaches us how to eat crab!
And dinner, with Irina Krush, Zhu Chen, the owner of Mazda Plaza (who invited
us to a traditional Chinese restaurant), Almira Skripchenko and Xie Jun
Irina and Almira try to decipher a Chinese newspaper
Everyone in great spirits after the delicious dinner
At the end of the day half of the group went to bed, the remainder went for
a foot massage as guests of the organiser. Your intrepid reporter was part
of the second group, wanting to describe first-hand this great experience for
ChessBase readers.
Ali Nihat preparing for a foot massage
When I went in I was exhausted from the long day, but after one hour of massage
I was born again. They take off your shoes and socks and then put your feet
into scented hot water.
Vera Nebolsina's father, Vera and others taking the Chinese massage
Then after five minutes they start to massage your shoulders. Then your backbone.
Then they massage your feet with special oils. All of your muscles becomes
alive again.
More to follow soon. That's me, filing my report from Jinan for ChessBase.com
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