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During my intense globe-trotting over the years, I have never thought I could feel the pulse of a new country in just one weekend! This was the amount of time I could afford to spend in Rabat and, using a pun which works out well only in Romanian, I had no intention to make any “rabat” (= rebate, allowance or reduction) on quality or quantity. My tournament schedule simply didn't allow me staying for more, as on the next weekend I am about to take part in the Limburg Open from Maastricht.
Greek-like blue washed walls but with an authentic Moroccan feeling
My usual fascination for traditional doors,...
...windows,....
... and alleys.
A walk around the old market is a pleasure for the eyes of both the camera and the photographer
No matter how adventurous I am, I still care about 'small' details such as preparing or relaxing, so I cannot blame myself if anything goes wrong in the tournament. Fair enough, I can always blame the others…
Lots of colours and opportunities
If only we had a bit more time to see more, explore more
The absolutely gorgeous drink, called by the locals the "Moroccan whiskey"...
... the tongue-in-cheek name for the mint tea.
The traditional Moroccan couscous
As time passes, an abstract feeling grows stronger in my mind: the experience we chess players accumulate in one year, equates to as many as seven of other people. While I would like to take credit for this plastic description of the intensity of our lives, I must confess that I was inspired by the growth of “Fat Frumos” (the equivalent of Prince Charming) as pictured in the Romanian fairy tales, by comparison with other boys of his age. Looking at it from a different perspective, I could say we have nine lives as well, just like the cats, being able to recover and start it all over again after every game and tournament failure.
Local humour or the game of trust
Our chess group during the tour
I didn't expect to be fascinated by trees in Rabat
Around Rabat
Our guide making sure I don't get lost
The Mausoleum of Mohammed V is a historical building which contains
the tombs of the Moroccan king and his two sons, the late King Hassan II
and Prince Abdallah. In the center is the tradtional guard.
I would also quote Short who makes it... short: "Chess keeps us sane" and on a more personal level - "chess makes me feel alive"; I sometimes have the impression that I pass through so many exciting events during a single day that I tend to lose their count; it sometimes feels like a whole month has passed and not just one weekend, but at the same time it was like yesterday that I was in Jakarta. Strange, contradictory and hard to explain, but one thing is sure: I am far from unhappy.
The building is considered a masterpiece of modern Alaouite dynasty architecture, with its
white silhouette.
A beautiful sun casting shadows and light
The building is topped by a typical green tiled roof, green being the color of Islam
A more unusual customer
My trip to Rabat gave me several reasons to be cheerful: I visited a new country, I was in contact with a new culture, new people, rehearsed my blitzing - a territory where I don't quite excel, since I tend to ponder a lot on my moves... I had the chance to cross swords with players like Shirov and Mamedyarov… How many occasions like that do I get in a year's time?! And as a bonus, my husband Erwin won the tournament with a massive score!
The first part of our excursion: a visit to the Royal Palace
Thanks for the photo to the enthusiastic person and photographer: François-Alexandre Léonard!
The sumptuous Royal Palace
The turquoise water and smooth waves remind me of Greece
There is no lack of color in the streets
Waking up at 7 AM to play 21 rounds, the same number as in the World Blitz Championship, but with the difference that they are all hold in a single day (!), explains why the Rabat blitz tournament is considered a marathon. Nevertheless, chess life is a perpetual marathon...
Local drink which is not milk nor yogurt-like produce. I still don't know what exactly it is since
my Moroccan friends couldn't translate it either. But it does taste good.
The lovely family of Macauley Peterson: Isabel and Amélie
Rk | SNr | Ti. | Name |
Rtg
|
FED
|
Pts
|
TB
|
Perf
|
1 | 6 | GM | L'Ami Erwin |
2635
|
NED
|
18.5
|
247
|
2690
|
2 | 1 | GM | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar |
2735
|
AZE
|
18
|
248.5
|
2649
|
3 | 5 | GM | Fridman Daniel |
2637
|
GER
|
16
|
248.5
|
2561
|
4 | 4 | GM | Van Wely Loek |
2653
|
NED
|
15
|
249.5
|
2508
|
5 | 2 | GM | Shirov Alexei |
2696
|
LAT
|
14.5
|
253.5
|
2513
|
6 | 7 | GM | Heberla Bartlomiej |
2556
|
POL
|
14.5
|
250
|
2498
|
7 | 3 | GM | Fedorchuk Sergey |
2657
|
UKR
|
14
|
252
|
2423
|
8 | 11 | GM | Larino Nieto David |
2451
|
ESP
|
14
|
242
|
2301
|
9 | 12 | IM | Dourerassou Jonathan |
2414
|
FRA
|
13
|
252.5
|
2344
|
10 | 8 | GM | Peralta Fernando |
2556
|
ARG
|
13
|
251.5
|
2374
|
11 | 9 | GM | Libiszewski Fabien |
2531
|
FRA
|
13
|
247.5
|
2354
|
12 | 18 | Le Huec Marc |
2236
|
FRA
|
13
|
234.5
|
2163
|
|
13 | 98 | Salaka Youssef |
0
|
MOR
|
13
|
214.5
|
1946
|
|
14 | 90 | Mounib Adil |
0
|
MOR
|
13
|
212
|
1994
|
|
15 | 10 | GM | Romero Holmes Alfonso |
2469
|
ESP
|
12.5
|
249.5
|
2281
|
LinksThe 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 13 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs. |