11/28/2011 – GM Maurice Ashley, who in 1999 was the first African-American to attain the coveted title of International grandmaster of chess, has become an ambassador of the game. On his Caribbean Chess Tour, after visiting Martinique, he went on the incredible tropical island of Guadeloupe – and found a similar amount of enthusiasm for the game there. Here is his
pictorial report on the trip.
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Caribbean Chess Tour: Guadeloupe
By GM Maurice Ashley
The island of Guadeloupe, the second stop on my Caribbean Chess Tour, is a
visual feast for the eyes. Although I had been there before, it had been to
play in a multi-round a day chess tournament, which, as any chess player knows,
is the last way to really see a place. This time I was there to bring chess
and technology to kids on the island as well as spend a day exploring the countryside.
The diverse assortment of colors everywhere one looks is so stimulating that
it’s easy to see why the island has the nickname “The Emerald Island.”
Guadeloupe, like Martinique, is a part of France, and hence a part of the European
Union. Christopher Columbus happened upon the island and its inhabitants as
part of his second voyage to the Americas. In the ensuing decades, the country
was fought over by the French and the British, eventually going to the French,
who agreed to cede control of all their holdings in Canada only on the condition
that they were allowed to keep Guadeloupe! The island would continue to change
hands several times, even once being owned by Sweden, before finally being settled
as a French colony in 1815 with the Treaty of Vienna.
How many chess offices in the world have this kind of view from their windows?
Guadeloupeans take great pride in their art and culture. Among their many writers
and poets, they boast a Nobel prize winning laureate (Saint-John Perse), and
among their musical giants they are most proud of Franky Vincent, whose pleasant
strain of “zouk musique”
can often be, shall we say, somewhat inappropriate for the ears of children.
Guadeloupe also has a strong sports tradition. World famous football (soccer)
star Thierry Henry’s father is from the island, and Michael Petrus (basketball)
and Marie Jose-Perec (triple Olympic champion) were both born in Guadeloupe.
Maurice Ashley in his element: with enthusiastic school kids from Guadaloupe
A simul with overhead fans – a trademark of the tropics
My two chess days there were spent meeting kids from various schools. After
my trip to Martinique, my college French was finally starting to kick into gear,
and I even managed to conduct entire sessions in French (with a lot of help,
of course!).
The kind of attention a GM chess lecture held in college French gets in
Guadaloupe
The view from the school
While chess is not yet huge on the island, the way I was received seems to
be a clear indication that the children there would absolutely love to play
the game regularly if it were shown to them in a consistent way. Of course,
the usual funding problems and the uncertainty of the educational leaders to
embrace chess make it difficult for the chess federation to gain a substantial
footing in many schools.
One of my simul games finished with “une petite combinaison”:
24.Qg4 Qxh2 25.e5 Bxe5 26.Qe4 Bf6 27.Rxf7 Rae8 28.Rxf6
gxf6 29.Qg4+ and with 29...Kh8 30.Qg4# to follow. 1-0.
My last day was spent visiting the Rum Museum, one of the most famous tourist
attractions on the island. Rum, as one can imagine, is a very important export
for Guadeloupe; there is even a quadrennial yacht race called the Route de Rhum
that begins in France and ends in the Guadeloupean harbor at the capital of
Pointe-a-Pitre. Good thing I am not someone who drinks because it is very easy
to watch all your money disappear at such a place!
The word museum is a misnomer because in addition to the area where rum is
made there is also a vast expanse of countryside with sloping undulating hills
and majestic postcard scenery. One could spend a whole day walking and hiking
and not cover the whole ground.
Exploring the region with Olivier
Find your own shade, buddy – this here is mine!
Cows in the paintings on street walls
Wall painting of a women shearing sheep
The tour is facilitated by a ride on a most conspicuous train, one that would
have been more likely found in Disneyworld than in a rum museum!
The almost empty beach in Guadaloupe
Like Martinique, Guadeloupe is one of those places where, as soon as you leave,
you are already thinking about returning. The beautiful countryside, the music,
and the people make it an easy choice for a relaxing vacation.
Recent
DVD by Maurice Ashley
Many times, when a top player blunders, it is routinely described by the esoteric
term “chess blindness“. In this series What Grandmasters Don‘t See, chess
trainer and worldclass commentator Maurice Ashley strips away the myth and for
the first time explains why the root of these mistakes is more often based in
the psychology of human learning.
In this DVD, Volume 2 of the three part series, Ashley shows that no other
standard tactical theme is more over-rated, overlooked and misunderstood than
the Discovered Attack. In each example, Ashley illustrates how often players
are confused by discovered attacks because the examples in the majority of chess
books are poorly chosen to show how this important tactical idea really works
in most practical games.
In the first half of the DVD, Ashley uses interesting and entertaining positions
to explain the points in his trademark effervescent style. The second half of
the DVD is filled with examples to test what you have learned about discovered
attacks, with a series of exercises of increasing difficulty. The material is
drawn both from classic and from recent games. Video running time: 3 hours 36
minutes.
Some previous ChessBase articles on Maurice Ashley
Ashley in Martinique – GM bearing gifts 23.11.2011 – In 1999 Maurice Ashley was the
first African-American to attain the coveted title of International Grandmaster
of Chess, and he has become an ambassador of the game, especially in the
Caribbean area. Recently he embarked on a Caribbean Chess Tour, where
his first stop was Martinique. He motivated local school children with
simultaneous games and gifts
from the ChessBase shop.
Maurice Ashley: What Grandmasters Don't See 21.10.2011 – "Maurice Ashley scores again as
favorite teacher with this DVD," writes Steven Dowd. "Ashley teaches with
a entertainingly fast pace, is quick to crack a good joke, and simply
relates well to the audience. If there really were a ChessBase University,
Ashley would be a candidate for teacher of the year, and would be my hands-down
choice to win." Review
in Chess Cafe.
Maurice Ashley rounds up Bilbao today! 08.10.2011 – This afternoon from New York,
at 4 PM EST and 10 PM Paris, the dynamic and popular commentator GM Maurice
Ashley will be the guest host of the Bilbao round up show on Playchess,
where he will not only summarize the action of the day, but he will also
take questions from the spectators. This show is free for Premium subscribers
so consider upgrading
if you haven't already. Don't
miss it!
Belize: painted faces and chess on stilts 30.06.2011 – The Central American nation, south
of Mexico, has a population of just 333,000. But in this country, with
its spectacular abundance of terrestrial and marine species, chess has
become a national passtime. Last May the best players from each district
throughout Belize met for what they call a "Chess Olympiad". A special
guest at the event, GM Maurice Ashley, sent us this beautiful
pictorial report.
Final round in Monaco starts at 12:30 p.m. 24.03.2011 – We don't want you to miss a minute
of it: so for your information on the final day of the 20th Amber Blindfold
and Rapid tournament play begins two hours earlier than usual – at 12:30
p.m. CET instead of 14:30. While you are waiting, or in the pauses between
the games, you might want to watch commentary by GMs Maurice Ashley and
Daniel King in previous rounds. All
on Playchess.
Ashley: 'Chess is intellectual karate!' 16.11.2010 – Maurice Ashley is a US grandmaster,
commentator and teacher, one of the best in the world. He is also the
author of one of our most popular Fritz Trainers ("Aikido chess"). In
a remarkable 24-minute "Big Think" interview – of the very highest technical
quality, we may add – Maurice gives us insights into his career and his
chess thinking. Very revealing, very entertaining – must
watch.
Ashley’s Secret: Aikido Chess! 20.10.2010 – American GM Maurice Ashley is
one of the games premier commentators. He has authored books, traveled
the world promoting the virtues of chess and has recently released a DVD
in partnership with ChessBase. It offers a new and general strategy: look
for what your opponents last move did that actually hurt his position.
Review
by Michael Jeffreys.
Maurice Ashley: The Secret to Chess 08.10.2010 – Since going into a self-imposed
hiatus from tournament chess, GM Maurice Ashley has not rested on his
laurels as arguably one of the game's premier commentators. He has authored
a couple of books, traveled the world promoting the virtues of chess and
has recently released another DVD in partnership with ChessBase. Review
in Chess Drum.
Magnus pounds The World in RAW Chess Challenge 12.09.2010 – It was the chess spectacle of
the year. Tens of thousands of spectators joined three strong grandmasters
to play the world's highest ranked player Magnus Carlsen. The event took
place in a penthouse overlooking New York City, with GMs Maurice Ashley
and Garry Kasparov commenting, and Hollywood actress Liv Tyler dropping
in. We bring you pictures
and the annotated game.
Maurice Ashley: The Secret to Chess 02.09.2010 – This is one you really do not
want to miss. Star international trainer and commentator Maurice Ashley
reveals a secret he discovered on his way to becoming a chess grandmaster.
It is a simple idea that anyone can understand – something that you can
use immediately to improve your game. Maurice's entertaining style and
great clarity make this a first class DVD. Here's
a sample lesson.
Ashley on CNN: 'I just knew I would be a great
chess player' 10.07.2008 – Maurice Ashley is the first black
chess grandmaster in history. He is also one of the games finest ambassadors,
an ardent spokesman and advocate of the intellectual and character building
effects in young people for over 15 years. In a short CNN report, part
of the series on "Black in America", he speaks about the driving forces
in his life and his career. We bring you Maurice
unsquished.
Maurice Ashley on Hip Hop, GZA and Will Smith 08.07.2006 – He is the first black grandmaster
in history, and also an extraordinary chess teacher, an organiser and
a friend of the stars. In this indepth interview by Adisa Banjoko, the
"Bishop of Hip Hop", Maurice Ashley tells about his life, his likes and
his encounters with GZA and Will Smith. Fascinating
stuff.
Ruy Lopez Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 12092 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 1276 are annotated.
In this 60 Minutes, Andrew Martin guides you through all the key ideas you need to know to play with confidence. Whether you’re looking to surprise your opponents, or simply want a straightforward weapon against e5, the Centre Attack has you covered.
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