Summer in San Salvador (part one)

As wide and varied the world we are living in might be, I start having déjà vu feelings whenever I travel to a new destination. This was partly the case with my recent trip to El Salvador, hosting in December 2015 the second edition of the San Salvador International Open.

As some of you may know, I love long-haul flights. I look forward to the excuse
to do nothing, read, watch mindless movies or gaze at the beautiful landscape
beneath – in this case: flying over Greenland on my way to El Salvador.

I couldn't refrain from smiling when, right after landing, I got such messages on my phone: "Welcome to Guatemala", "The Romanian Embassy in Cuba..." or "Roaming costs in Jamaica...", a confusion of the telephone companies I had similarly experienced at my arrival in Suriname in 2014. Coming from the depths of European winter, I reckon my mobile needed to warm up a bit under the gorgeous Salvadorian sun, just like its owner, carrying an invincible summer within.

The advantages of a warm climate : lush vegetation, with bright and bold colours

Tried for the first time freshly picked coffee beans! The taste is...all right but I do prefer them
in my coffee mug. (Insert big smiley here)

Enjoying the adrenaline rush, the great Salvadorian “pupusas” (corned tortillas filled with
a blend of various ingredients), the gorgeous views and the good company.

There were things which diverged from my initial expectations, though. I had hoped that my well-calculated fears when entering a country reported as one of the most dangerous in the world, would turn into a feeling of safety, as was the case when I played in Mexico City earlier this year.

Nevertheless, how could I feel secure when I occasionally saw soldiers or even civilians on motorcycles with guns, barbed and electric wires almost everywhere or noticed that the buildings had their windows protected by lattice works not only on the ground floor but also on the higher ones?

Everything you want is usually on the other side of fear...therefore: “Chess team loves El Salvador”!

I do know that all of it, all the kind suggestions and advice were with the best of intentions at heart, to make us vigilant and cautious, just to avoid any possible troubles. However, when you hear it often enough you start doubting, scanning everything and seeing unnecessary ghosts, forgetting to simply enjoy the beauty around you, be it people, a great game, a good meal or just a swim in the pool… which we had.

The reality is that you have 99.9 % chances of coming back happy and well at your home/hotel, if plain common sense is applied. Safety is also a state of mind and it depends on each person's comfort zone. Mine was Ok, so happy traveling everyone!

Rewards for those who dare: in San Andrés with Evgeny Romanov and Sergey Tiviakov...

visiting the pre-Colombian pyramids.

Great feeling to “escape” winter...

... as well as soaking up culture.

Actually I also experienced a fierce attack: that of some little local ants! They can bite the hell out of your legs, as it happened with me. I must admit it was surely my fault; trespassing and walking on “dangerous” looking vegetation just to get a better angle for one of my shots was not a successful idea.

The “bloody” picture...but it was for a good cause, as I have never seen how the cocoa beans grow!

I have to emphasize that the organizers did their best to make our stay in San Salvador secure and pleasant. We were accompanied wherever we wished to go and the day before the first round we were offered a wonderful trip including a visit to the oldest vestiges of the Mayan culture.

I would extend my positive feelings to the Salvadorian people in general, by calling them an absolutely wonderful people, words which I have used a lot for Latin-Americans (and not only) and deservedly so.

Hmmmm, it seems the dangers are not over yet – sitting on a “ticking
bomb”: the Boquerón vulcano ("big mouth" in Spanish), which erupts
every 100 years and is expected to show its power again.

The tournament itself was a tough experience, with double rounds and the relatively strong field added to the seven-hour jet-lag. All in all I feel that my five rating points lost were a fair price to pay for an overall thrilling experience. The main three favorites, Tiviakov, Ortiz Suarez and Romanov occupied the first three places, even if in a shuffled (or long castled, 0-0-0) order.

The winner's brand

Evgeny won the tournament in style, with 8.0/9! Only two draws slipped
from his pockets – back to the 2600 club.

As we all know, it is very important to start well in a tournament...things could have gone wrong
for Evgeny but he was alert to potential damage on the chess board.

Feliz Mara - Evgeny Romanov

The number one rated player, Sergey Tiviakov, played a good tournament too, finishing in second
with 7.0/9. True, he is not so happy with the two draws in the final rounds but a tough schedule
has its price...here he was beating your reporter, unfortunately.

Sergey Tiviakov - Alder Escobar

A great tournament for the player from Nicaragua, Mauro Ampie, who held a draw in a tough position against Sergey.

With two rounds a day and horrendous traffic, no time to go back and forth to the hotel...power nap time!

Continued in part two