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Over the past months I have crossed a rather unusually long (at least for my standards) period of hibernation, both in the proper meaning of this word (yes, it is quite cold in the Netherlands) and in the figurative one – I almost forgot when I played my last tournament game.
When I received the invitation to play the Karpos Open in Skopje, it clearly smelled like (time) trouble, which you may understand if I mention that I am writing these lines in Jersey, where I traveled to immediately after returning from Macedonia. More about this in a later article but sometimes there are offers you just can't refuse, so the answer was quite obvious: put an end to my chess winter, head in first and deal with the consequences on the go. I was partially inspired by a famous comment of Romania’s greatest football player ever (though apparently not the strongest logician) Gheorghe Hagi: “It is impossible but achievable!”
When in doubt, just do it!
So here I am, in Skopje - feels like my kind of setting: suitcases, missing home and lots of shoes to help me...
…deal with the massive walks. Even though I wouldn't have minded another pair of legs...
… the Macedonian capital was worth the 'trouble'! Besides, the city's vibes gave me enough
endorphins to later cope with a rough chess event.
I was badly missing the atmosphere of a strong tournament with a rapidly growing tradition, (the Karpos Open has reached its sixth edition) and in hindsight I can confirm that my adventurous move on my over-crowded calendar could not have been more inspired!
Enchev - L'Ami
The main role in the tournament was clearly played by Dmitry Svetushkin but...
… he had to watch out for the competition, as Georgiev Kiril is a tough egg to crack.
Svetushkin - Dvirnyy
The top seed, the Serbian GM Ivan Ivanisevic, was surely hoping for a better end of the tournament: 6.5/9 and 11th place.
It is not always easy to constantly spoil the audience with dynamic and kind of crazy chess, as this is Ivan's trademark. Karpos Open was not his tournament but I will always remember his games, since one of my coaches was completely in love with his style. Ivanisevic (above) doesn't know but he actually inspired the Romanian chess and I grew up learning from his games too
The 2nd seed, Markus Robert, finished the tournament on a good note: shared second with 7.0/9
Chess tradition in Skopje goes far beyond the Karpos Open. The city hosted the European Club Cup recently, decades ago super tournaments took place here and the 1972 chess Olympiad was organized in the Macedonian capital too. Little wonder that the 2016 edition was a success despite some financial problems experienced by the organization in their own “chess game “ with the sponsors and politicians. Oh, and a little birdie brought the rumors into my ear that, fifty years after the 1972 Olympiad and the famous Fischer-Spassky match, there is a chance that the 2022 Olympiad will once again be held in Skopje.
If we will come here for the 2022 Olympiad or not....I cannot tell right now, but I certainly
wouldn't mind strolling on those streets again.
Number four on the starting list, the Russian GM Evgeny Romanov, was not too happy with his
play but he did share second place with 7.0/9! Maybe the Skopje's horses inspired his own chess
pieces for a better second half of the event.
And then again...they keep getting younger and younger!
Chess has this tremendous power to reunite people
The Karpos mayor, Stevco Jakimovski, who is not only a karate specialist but also a chess aficionado, confessed that he admires the sportive spirit of the 70's, when he had the chance to meet the chess titans. His excellency also conquered my respect when enthusiastically speaking about Romania and pointing out beautiful places I hadn't had the opportunity to visit yet!
And yet, I kind of felt like home, as this photo could be taken in Romania as well
Not this one though; Skopje is in fact quite an interesting cocktail of Baroque, Byzantine and...
… Ottoman architecture, which could prove enjoyable for the chess tourists too.
The tournament was played at the Aleksandar Palace luxury hotel, as if suggesting that the chess kings and queens deserve the very best. I experienced some problems with the double rounds though. I hate mornings as they start so early! After all, my nights are for overthinking and my mornings for oversleeping!
Clearly we all needed to carry heavy metal, to be able to face the double rounds
Being a superman would have surely helped too - These photos were taken on the 1st of April,
when the Macedonians don't play nasty tricks on each other but rather have fun!
The tournament hall was ready for the early birds...
… but the 'birds' needed just a bit more time to fully wake up, particularly for the 09:30 morning games.
Sundararajan Kidambi in deep concentration
Chess is a tough affair indeed
This time I was a bit wiser than before and, following the example of many experienced players I took a bye... This offered me the opportunity to visit the city and present you the tournament from the touristic perspective, too.
To be completely honest, I came to Skopje to play the tournament and to see a... bridge
You might think I was joking above, but the Stone Bridge is actually quite special, and dates back to the 15th century
If you thought Paris is the city of love... Skopje would be a good competitor – a clear sign that
life can be lively, lovely and peaceful in the Balkans.
To be continued...
