The spreadsheet of activities reads as follows:
February – the DDL Swiss Tournament for Junior and Senior players;
March – Election of office bearers.
March/April – the Kei-Shar’s tournament;
April – Four-day visit of German chess grandmaster Rainer Buhmann;
May – the Independence Topco Juices tournament;
June/July – the Sasha Cells tournament;
July-November – hosting of chess clinics for schools in Berbice and Essequibo, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport;
August – the DDL Emancipation Day tournament;
September/October – Qualification Tournament for the National Championships and Guiana Games;
October-November – National Championships;
December – National Schools Championship sponsored by the
Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, as well as the hosting of a Chess Fair and Fun Day;
January-December – the distribution of chess sets to schools across the country by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport in association with the Guyana Chess Federation.
The National Schools Chess Championship was by far the most successful tournament of the year due to the numbers that registered to play from schools across Guyana. The federation was compelled to limit the number of participants. No school was allowed to field more than two teams of four players each. A total of 25 schools participated this year, up from 14 schools last year. For December 2010, the extraordinary challenge of the federation is to bring 100 schools together in one place to do battle over the chess board for supremacy. We believe it could be done, and we say it must be done. We are aiming for the stars in this respect. If we fall, we shall fall on the tree tops.
Minister Frank Anthony told chess players at the National Schools Championship that he imagines the day when 1000 students would be playing competitive chess in the same place at the same time. I try to imagine that day also. Instantly, something that was sleeping within me, awakened.
At the end of the year, I wish to thank those sponsors who stood by us during 2009, and who share the dream that by playing chess regularly, we can create a more meaningful society. Dr Anthony believes it. And I believe it. The principals at DDL believe it, Kei-Shar’s believes it, the Ramgopaul family believe it and Sasha Cells does also. Biggie put it over so beautifully in song when he said, “We may not be able to change the world, but we can change ourselves.” No one has ever been the same after learning the game of chess, or, as some are fancied to say, “the game of life.”
A merry Christmas and a successful New Year to all!
Spassky v Korchnoi
World Championship challenger Viktor Korchnoi, 78, is playing an eight-round chess match in Kalmykia with the 10th world champion Boris Spassky, 72. Korchnoi is an active tournament player while Spassky has had very little practical playing experience in recent years. Korchnoi won the first game following an error that was made by his opponent. Here is Game Two which ended in a draw.
Spassky, B (2548) – Korchnoi, V (2567)
Match Kalmykia RUS (2), 20.12.2009
1.e4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.cxd5 Nf6 5.Bb5+ Nbd7 6.Nc3 Be7 7.d4 0-0 8.Nf3 Nb6 9.0-0 Bf5 10.Re1 Nfxd5 11.Ne4 Bb4 12.Bd2 Bxd2 13.Qxd2 Nf6 14.Nc5 Rb8 15.h3 c6 16.Bf1 Nbd7 17.Qf4 Bg6 18.Bc4 Nb6 19.Bb3 Nbd5 20.Qd2 b6 21.Nd3 Rc8 22.Nde5 Qd6 23.Nxg6 hxg6 24.Rac1 Rfd8 25.Ne5 Nd7 26.Nc4 Qf6 27.Ne3 Nxe3 28.Qxe3 Nf8 29.Qe5 Qxe5 30.Rxe5 Rc7 31.Rce1 Rxd4 32.Re7 Rxe7 33.Rxe7 Ne6 34.Rxa7 c5 35.Bxe6 fxe6 36.Rb7 Rb4 37.b3 Kf8 38.Kf1 c4 39.bxc4 Rxc4 40.Rxb6 Rc1+ 41.Ke2 Rc2+ 42.Ke3 Rxa2 43.Rxe6 Kf7 44.Rb6 Ra3+ 45.Kf4 Ra2 46.Kg3 g5 ½-½.
