Double the fun in Cardiff (2/2)

To always be in search of the chess truth requires tons of
energy, and sometimes the reserves run out.

Chatalbashev - Wells

It is worth mentioning that Peter bounced back every time and finished the tournament on a positive note even though he also had his share of losing against an 'underdog'.

Wells - Rudd

The risks of the game – blackouts

Chatalbashev – Gretarsson

There is nothing you can do about those blunders, or at least I didn't find a remedy until recently: during one of my games I detected that my opponent was missing for quite some time and I wondered where he could be? Since his clock was ticking anyway, I took the opportunity to go into the hotel lobby and watch the live tennis matches a bit from Wimbledon and...there he was! My adversary was relaxing in an armchair, getting inspiration from Murray's cannon shots! (Ed: the British player who won Wimbledon for the second time)

The meeting point: the hotel lobby

At other times, the Tour de France was the one to imbue the chess players with new ideas because sport is one of the basic joys of life, and it touches the depths of our emotions, letting us believe in the impossible. I just wish and hope the game of chess would attract as many fans as football does, that they would eventually stop being seen as poles apart but rather similar due to the think, plan, execute scheme.

Chess players are social and cool people too, not only the footballers!
“Diod arall?” (that means “another drink?” in Welsh)

The 13th South Wales title goes to Hjorvar Steinn Gretarsson who, despite missing the first
round as he had to travel from South America (add some jet lag on top of it) and despite his
“not so good play” (his quote), he remained undefeated, gained some rating and first prize too!

The hotel witnessing all the chess encounters, which were decided in the first three rounds by...

… the good old ways: by hand! The computer took
over later but I cannot suppress some flashbacks
from my childhood chess memories.

Webb - Chatalbashev

If you're up for more calculation, try the following exercises:

Select exercises from list below the board. Move the pieces on the board to enter your solution.

So many sports, so little time! But chess is indeed a bit more special to me, a chameleon able to adapt to any personality and become a metaphor for everything and anything, including life itself. How else could one describe it when I had been stalemated twice during my stay in Cardiff?! First by the very relaxed and warm Welsh people and secondly... with such a program on the board and on TV I barely had time to discover Cardiff.

Luckily, the city distinguishes itself with a strong personality so it was enough (for now) to quickly grasp
the modern vibes... (click on image for high-res version)

… while the traditional ones continue to stand proudly.

Modern meets traditional

All the same, I didn't succeed in seeing the Wales depicted in the books with hills that make your heart sing, the Wales which its high lands and history...

… castles and countryside and, of course, with... (click image for high-res version)

… lots of green grass. (click image for high-res version)

I did get little bits here and there but I know there is room for much more in the future. How about Wales in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final too?!

Final standings

Links Official tournament site All games in PGN You can use ChessBase 13 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs to replay the games in PGN. You can also download our free Playchess client, which will in addition give you immediate access to the chess server Playchess.com.