Basketball with the São Paulo players

Report and pictures by Albert Silver

In the van on the way back from the simul, the day before the opening ceremony, Levon Aronian was twisting around in his seat, asking each and every player, "Are you in? And you? And you?". Since there were no more activities scheduled that day, I asked what was up. "We're organizing a basketball game this afternoon." A basketball game? I have seen many a football game, and the occasional tennis, but this was a new one to me. I asked to tag along and record the moment, which promised to be entertaining at the least.

Arriving at the club, Epstein Agdestein, Carlsen's manager, went to get some extra
bottles of water before the game. He was not just there for his protegé, and played too.

The players soon got into the groove of the game

Carlsen was always one to make the most of his chances

And the players soon made sure he was well covered

Paco manages a nice pass between Karjakin's legs to get past him

Karjakin was not intimidated and went right after him

After the first hour, the players stopped for a breather. Here Paco, Karjakin, and
Agdestein enjoy a brief moment in the shade.

Karjakin gets ready for the next game...

After they scored, the players would reposition themselves

Levon Aronian was the brain behind the plan, and is a huge basketball buff

But the non-stop running did eventually take its toll

Finally it was over and the players rested

Photos by Albert Silver and official site

Schedule and results

São Paulo partners

Links Official tournament site The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 11 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.

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