“One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine who have only an interest.”- John Stuart Mill (1806—-1873) Philosopher, political economist.
We have come to the time for ambition. Momentum is now largely on our side, and it becomes vital that we use this unexpected windfall to accelerate the promotion of chess in education, and simultaneously, multiply our membership in the Guyana Chess Federation.
Our singular task, one which is distinguished by priority, is to win friends and influence people. Today, we are having an open seven-round Swiss system blitz tournament at the Port Mourant Community High School, and we are optimistic that we would be leaving Berbice with some new members for our federation.
A one-year subscription for membership to the federation costs $2,000 for adults 18 years and over, and $1,000 for the juniors. Members of the federation are given a reduction in participation fees for chess tournaments, are eligible to represent Guyana at international tournaments, and become eligible to be elected to the executive committee of the organisation.
The response to our call for business Berbice to sponsor a chess tournament was met with tumultuous enthusiasm. Sponsors sprang forth readily, reinforcing my belief that there is clearly some goodwill for the development of the game around the country. The New Building Society committed a lofty first prize of $20,000; the Chamber of Commerce, demonstrating courageous spirit, handed out a second prize of $15,000 and Chris Jagdeo’s Contracting Services, without hesitation, sponsored $10,000 for the third place winner of the tournament. Sukhram General Store displayed an undetectable generosity of mind when its principals announced that they would provide all the monetary prizes for the winners of the Junior section of the tournament.
Geddes Grant Limited, Belvedere Inn 2, Crown Spot Lemonade and Balram Shane General Store also offered prizes in varied ways to make the tournament attractive, while Dr Frank Anthony provided the trophies and medals for winners in both categories. In all, the contributions are greatly appreciated and we wish to express our gratitude for the generous support of our sponsors.
Berbicians, collectively, have extended a golden handshake of confidence to the federation, and have unequivocally expressed a willingness to support chess. We call on you now to become members of our blooming organisation. You will contribute much goodness to yourselves, your families, your businesses and your communities if you literally experience the game.
You see, there is something to be said about a chess player’s ability to view the entire chess board before deciding which move to play. He has been trained to do so. In life, sometimes people are focused on one problem, or a single aspect of a problem, that they remain unaware that solving it may require action on something that appears unrelated. It is natural for a chess player, by contrast, to look at the big picture. Zigniew Brezinski has written on geopolitics as “The Grand Chessboard” and the analogy persists in many ways. There is no single solution to a chess game; one must consider every factor to produce a complete strategic solution. And this kind of training influences our thinking when we are confronted with life’s complicated situations.
Chess clearly shows us the power of “Why?” Before each move, before each decision, we stop and ask ourselves: “Why this move?
What am I trying to achieve and how does this move help me to achieve it?” We are forced to question our moves consistently; if we fail to do so, we will lose to the player with a coherent plan. Asking the question “why?” is an essential part of the chess player’s discipline, which can be applied to just about every pursuit in life. Ralph Waldo Emerson tells us: “The man who knows how will always have a job. The man who knows why will always be his boss.”
So it is in everyone’s interest to play chess and have fun when playing chess. You can play among friends simply for relaxation, or you can play seriously for competition, and enjoy the game regardless of which road you follow. Remember, chess is everybody‘s game, even Berbicians.
Anand wins Morelia/Linares invitational
World champion Vishy Anand emerged victorious in last month’s annual Morelia/Linares chess tournament in which eight world-class players were participants. In the following game, the champion loses to Levon Aronian.
White: Anand, V
Black: Aronian, L
Morelia/Linares Invitational Tournament.
February—-March, 2008.
1 e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 12.Re1 Bd6 13.g3 Re8 14.d4 Rxe1+ 15.Qxe1 Ra7 16.Be3 Re7 17.Nd2 Qe8 18.Nf1 h5 19.a4 Be6 20.Bd1 h4 21.axb5 axb5 22.Bf3 Bh3 23.Bxd5 cxd5 24.Qd1 f5 25.Bg5 Re4 26.Bxh4 Qg6 27.Bd8 f4 28.Qd3 Qh5 29.Nd2? Re2 30.Nf3??
Anand did not consider Aronian’s reply, the obstruction sacrifice 30…Re3!!, which wins immediately, because the world champion’s king is totally vulnerable. 31.fxe3 Qxf3 32.Qc2 fxg3 33.hxg3 Qxg3+ 34.Kh1 Bf5! with mate to follow. 0-1.
