Chess with Errol

Gupta wins Commenwealth Chess Championships

By

20130714chessNine hundred chess players from 29 countries participated in the Common-wealth Chess Champion-ship that was held in South Africa earlier this month. It coincided with the 95th birthday celebrations of Nelson Mandela who was born on July 18.

The Championship was declared open by President Jacob Zuma and attended by former world chess champion Garry Kasparov and his wife. Kasparov completed a seven nation tour of Africa with his trip to the Commonwealth Chess Championship.

The tournament was won by Indian grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta. In a stirring closing address to players and celebrities, President Zuma explained that chess proved to be a soothing antidote for routine prison life and stimulated the minds of inmates to concentrate effectively. Here is an excerpt from the President’s closing address: “On Robben Island, chess provided a solace to us that we needed in those conditions of isolation and deprivation. It propelled our minds beyond the confines of the prison walls and allowed us to reflect and to position our thoughts strategically to fight the regime.

Many comrades made chess sets out of soap and driftwood that allowed us to continue to play this noble and great game. We improvised with makeshift chess boards and we enjoyed the fullness of the game.”

Each year, on July 18, Mandela’s birthday, South Africans celebrate Nelson Mandela International Day to honour the legacy of South Africa’s former President and his values, through volunteering and community service. The Mandela campaign message reads as follows: “Nelson Mandela has fought for social justice for 67 years.

The President of South Africa Jacob Zuma plays a friendly 20-minute chess game with a five-year-old boy, Keagan Rowe. The occasion was the 2013 Commonwealth Championship that was held in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on the occasion of the 95th birthday of Nelson Mandela. There were 900 participants from 29 countries. In his address to declare open the tournament, President Zuma referred to a time when he was a political prisoner on Robben Island, and himself and colleagues, including Mandela, fashioned chess pieces from soap and driftwood and crafted makeshift boards to play the royal game. Garry Kasparov also attended the tournament and engaged in celebrations for Nelson Mandela on his birthday on July 18.
The President of South Africa Jacob Zuma plays a friendly 20-minute chess game with a five-year-old boy, Keagan Rowe. The occasion was the 2013 Commonwealth Championship that was held in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on the occasion of the 95th birthday of Nelson Mandela. There were 900 participants from 29 countries. In his address to declare open the tournament, President Zuma referred to a time when he was a political prisoner on Robben Island, and himself and colleagues, including Mandela, fashioned chess pieces from soap and driftwood and crafted makeshift boards to play the royal game. Garry Kasparov also attended the tournament and engaged in celebrations for Nelson Mandela on his birthday on July 18.

“We’re asking you to start with 67 minutes.” This global call to action celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world and the ability to create an impact for betterment throughout the universe. At the Championship, chess players noted the call for action.

Mamedyarov v Topalov

FIDE GP Beijing 2013

20130728chess1The following game is taken from the Beijing Grand Prix between two heavyweights of the chess world. This game was important to determine the final classification of the leaders of the Beijing tournament. In Diagram I, Topalov could have played 20…Nf5, but instead he went for the pawn to his detriment. We pick up this game from move 20.

20130728chess2In Diagram II, the Knight is trapped. The Queen controls six flight squares and the Rook the other two.

20…Ne4? 21.Qd3! Nxc3 22.Rac1! Nxd1? 23.Qxe2 Nc3 24.Qc4

Black Resigns. 1-0.

Trending