Double the fun in Cardiff (1/2)

“Morning love!” is probably not exactly the type of greeting one would expect to hear from a random person passing by. But the more I travel the less I know... “hello love”, “how was your day, love?”, “everything all right, love?”, kind of stalemated my ears, at least in the beginning, until I somewhat passed the initial Welsh cultural 'shock'. I am not sure if it is a local thing (Cardiff) or if this casual, friendly way of greeting is common all over Great Britain, but either way, it doesn't mean they're actually in love with you, they're just trying to be nice!

And they succeeded – they smile, I smile

It is always wonderful to be surrounded by optimistic, positive people and perhaps this was also one of the reasons why I felt great during the 13th South Wales International Open, held in Cardiff between 7 – 13 July. Besides, since I recently discovered I really like watching football, this was the place to be for the semi-final between Wales – Portugal!

Quick stroll along the quiet streets of Cardiff before... (click for high-res version)

... the Welsh started to sing their hearts out while supporting their favourite football team!

Even the passage ways were ready for the confrontation

The most recognizable Welsh symbol, the dragon, was visible
absolutely everywhere. Here is a more subtle version: on the cap

No age limit to being a fan!

Very much to the disappointment of all their supporters, Wales didn't make it to the final but they did go down in the history books as the smallest nation to ever reach a semi-final in the UEFA European Championship, which is a remarkable result indeed. In a similar daring-to-dream fashion, another pocket-sized nation proved that everything is possible, when Iceland got as far as the quarter final. The moral of the story? The ball is round not only in football but in our game as well and being the underdog can turn into your own advantage: nothing to lose, everything to gain.

Boris Chatalbashev and Marian Petrov had played many times before in the South Wales
Open so they were 'vaccinated'; but somehow you can never be ready enough for...

... tough resistance

It is hard to beat a player that never gives up

Keith Arkell found that out the hard way

Key moments in Arkell's games

Select games from the  menu below the board

Arkell - Martin

Here is a position that might have occured and would have led to a win. Black
has just played 21...Ned3, how should White reply? White to play and win.

Boris was not exempted either, as he lived through difficult times in round
two, when only the goddess Caissa was able to still save him.

After a well-conducted game in the very same second round, instead of scoring I shot in my
own goalpost and left home with only half a point. But Tihana should get full credit for that:
she stubbornly defended a pretty awful position.

The tournament winner had his scares too

Ralphs – Gretarsson

The first half of the match is the most important, both on the football field and on the chess board, and rating (or the odds) is no barrier, it's just a limitation you put in your mind. Dare to be fearless and love the game like the Welsh chess players do and 'miraculous' results are bound to happen!

Work hard but keep having fun!

No wonder the professionals were goaded into despair at times, as it is also quite difficult to defeat a player who refuses to give up, who keeps on finding newer and trickier resources.

The sharp 6. Bg5 Najdorf employed by my friend Alan. Therefore, I decided to strike back: paparazzi time!

Marian was the only player in the tournament's top ten ranking list who
didn't suffer any major casualty provoked by a lower rated opponent

Just like football, chess is also a rather simple game in its rules but so difficult to play it simple... And when the double rounds arrive, don't be surprised if you get a warning from your brain: ”Sorry, mind closed until further notice”.

Continued in part two...