Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Chess in the Freezer

This item on Chessbase about chess in the Arctic Circle reminded me of Paul Glissan's chess experiences on the opposite end of the Earth.

My opponent was from Kiev, and was very much stronger than the electrical engineer. We played 5 games over several hours, watched by all the Base members and visitors from the "Molchanov". The home-made vodka flowed freely. National pride was at stake! The end result was 2½-2½. Pride on both sides was saved. I enquired whether my opponent had played Club Chess in Kiev. "Street club" was his reply. This is similar to Hyde Park Chess in Sydney, on tables under the trees in the squares and meeting places in Kiev. And for money! I then understood why Kiev produced stronger chess players than Murmansk.

From Mr Glissan's Chess in the Freezer.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful imagery...

Thank You.