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One memorable thing I did in 2018 was to travel to Chihuahua, Mexico. The trip was made possible by my close friend, GM Alex Shabalov, who had played in this event in 2016 and 2017. Alex spoke to the organisers on my behalf, arrangements were made, and on October 9th I boarded a plane bound for El Paso, TX.
This seemingly easy part proved anything but. A huge thunderstorm had covered most of Texas, which caused enormous disruption in air travel. My plane was diverted to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where a lot of my fellow travellers were crammed into a small terminal. Eventually I made it to Dallas-Fort Worth airport, and after a few more delays finally made it to El Paso just after midnight the next day, some 18 hours after I left my house. Shabalov's ordeal was very similar, as his departure from Pittsburgh was also greatly delayed.
When such things happen I fully expect further problems but, fortunately, it wasn't the case this time. When I walked into a terminal at El Paso, I saw Shabalov in the company of IM Roberto Martin Del Campo (pictured) — jester, and a great storyteller, who inspires me to study Spanish. Del Campo was with his friend, who waited for us since about Noon. Such a show of friendliness from the people who hardly knew me was the defining moment. I instantly knew I came to the right place.
So, we got in the car and drove across the border to Ciudad Juarez, a town twice as large as El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, versus 1.5 million living on the Mexican side of the border. The border crossing going south had an unattended booth, while there was a small line of cars waiting to go the other way. I took notice, but a bit more on the whole USA-Mexico border situation later.
We spent a night in Juarez and took off for Chihuahua the following morning. The landscape of a desert highway with a distant view of the mountains was very much familiar to me. In my time I have crisscrossed the American Southwest in all possible directions, and grown to appreciate its severe beauty. Some three and a half hours later we entered the city of Chihuahua.
San Cristobal de Las Casas
The town, which is inhabited by some 800,000 people, has two distinct parts. The old city has a typical touristy feel with its central plaza, dominated by Cathedral of Chihuahua, where I struck my "Rocky" pose.
Of course, the climb was just a few steps, but who can tell (click or tap to enlarge)
The plaza is dotted with funny looking sculptural works by Rodrigo De la Sierra. Behind is a City Hall building where Shabalov and I attended a small press conference before the tournament. Later we were invited for an interview at a local University radio station.
Sculptures in the plaza by Rodrigo De la Sierra whose motto is, “Life is too serious to take us so seriously” (click or tap to enlarge)
Another big landmark is Angel de la Libertad, raised in honour of Miguel Hidalgo, the hero of the Mexican War of Independence which we viewed from the elevated deck of an adjacent building while enjoying a beer.
The "Angel of Liberty" stands 35 metres tall and was built in 2003, representing the freedom of Mexicans
The most of our time in Chihuahua was, however, spent in a new part of town, located alongside Perifico de la Juventud, an elevated highway heading north. Both sides of the road are littered with the trappings of the U.S. cultural invasion: shopping malls, car dealerships, gas stations and restaurants. I didn't care to take any pictures of that.
We stayed at the Microtel Inn on the side of the highway and were driven everywhere, to the tournament and back, and later in the day to places to eat and drink.
The tournament didn't boast a very strong field, but it was headed by two representatives of Latvian chess, both disciples of the great Mikhail Tal.
Fascinated by the French Winawer
The Winawer Variation in just 60 minutes - that can only work by reducing it to a clear repertoire for Black and, where possible, general recommendations rather than variations. Alexei Shirov was surprised at how quickly he managed to make of the French Winawer an opening he himself could play. And now he will let you share in his conclusions.
This win pretty much cleared the path for Alexei, who picked up a quick win in the previous round as well. According to the poster in the tournament hall, his next opponent represented Russia.
Tactic Toolbox Ruy Lopez / Spanish Opening
Starting with Black's alternatives on move 3 and working through until the main lines of the Closed Lopez and the Marshall and Anti-Marshall, the viewer will find his knowledge of the opening developing in tandem with an improvement in his tactical ability.
Shabalov's quip: Yermo changed his federation back to Russia in protest against Kavanaugh's nomination to SCOTUS.
What happened to me in his game can be described as a senior moment. Fortunately, I didn't have any more of those in Chihuahua. Meanwhile, Shirov concluded the event with two more wins, finishing with a perfect 7/7 score.
The Semi-Slav: A GM guide for the tournament player
The Semi-Slav (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6) can arise via various move orders, has decided World Championships, and is one of Black's most fascinating replies to 1 d4. Magnus Carlsen's second, Grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen explains in detail what this opening is all about.
The winner in concentration mode
I had a fun last round game that featured an incredible rook move from my opponent.
Alexei Shirov can look back on an extraordinary chess career. The genius from Riga presents and explains his most brilliant games in the Sicilian Najdorf.
David Encinas Varela
During our lively post-mortem, we became friends with David Encinas, who certainly is a way stronger player than his modest rating indicates.
As the final results were counted I was shocked to learn that the tie-breaks saw me finishing second (!), even though I didn't face any titled players aside from Shirov. The 10,000 pesos prize [about USD $515] felt like a lottery win, and promptly spent it all during our last day in Chihuahua.
Yermo's shopping spree
In the evening, David drove us back across the border. We came through at a different crossing, manned by just one sleepy guard who wore a ski mask. It seems he could barely understand David's Spanish and didn't even bother to open our passports. No signs of the wall being built any time soon.
At the risk of injecting politics into a chess article, I'd like to offer the following. There's no threat of invasion from Mexico. All Mexicans who ever wanted to move to the United States have already done so; and the rest, such as my friend David, are quite happy where they are.
David Encines
