A. Khalifman
OPUS 1
Yesterday I was flying home but stumbled almost at the door
and nearly broke my foot. Enduring the pain, I somehow hobbled to
my chair, opened my eyes and saw… a TV set. You know, that
latest invention of modern technologies! And when I reached the
controller, I also remembered the event: the opening of the
XXVIIth Summer Olympic Games. The outline of the Superdome
appeared on the screen, and I forgot about my foot…
The great elder Samaranch straightened his shoulders and heralded
the beginning of the last millenium’s games to the world! And
then the Olympic fire approached the main arena… It had been
lit far away in Athens and had traveled all over the world.
Thousands of hands touched the sacred fire in an endless relay
race, but the honor to set it into the bowl of the chief stadium
of Sidney fell on women! Well, the Australians have their own
ways for everything, they even walk with their heads down. And
there was a date: one hundred years since the weaker sex was
allowed to compete together with us, men – oh, never mind…
Apart from this, at the end of the millenium a chess event was
included into the program of the Olympic Games (even though it
was only in the unofficial program for this time), and what an
event! The match Anand – Shirov between challengers who were
“not approved by the boss” is played at the super high level,
so now we can hope that chess may appear in the official program
of the Olympic Games in the future. Maybe even next time. Well,
at least in the next millenium.
Then, other things through the opening ceremony were unusual too.
The irreconcilable Koreans, who went together, hand in hand,
under a single flag. The entrancing “ocean wave” which
covered the stadium. The incredible Olympic bowl which appeared
from nothing, from the deep, and then flew up to the beaming
heaven like a “Frisbee”. And, finally, the marvelous
Superdome itself, with all its architectural extravagances. It is
probably a deep symbol that it was built where a normal city dump
had been… As an old rhyme from the Soviet time reads: one can
fly into outer space, if he really wants it very badly! By the
way, maybe, just accidentally, you have spare 4,000,000,000.00 $?
OPUS 2
Not long ago, in an article, written by a respected football
journalist, I encountered a sentence that the Soviet Championship
was, in fact, no worse than Italian calcio?! The same tension and
intrigue until the last round, the same opposition (only we had
Russia vs. the Ukraine instead of the North vs. the South), and
the football itself was practically of the same level…
Now I think, how strange it is. And why did Milans and Inters win
European cups, and our achievements were restricted to a few
attacks on the Cup of Cups? It seems to me that the Italians were
World Champions three times, and as for us… so much I remember,
we never played the final. Concerning tension and intrigues –
they are always present, even in the championship of the Faroes,
so what has the analogy with the SU to do with this? As the
saying goes, there’s nothing bad in dreaming, but let’s take
pride in those things which are really great, there are plenty of
them to choose from.
I can suppose that many Italian experienced tiffozi (and who can
stay away from the football passions in that land where football
is a religion) would only smile condescendingly at such football
arguments of our “specialists”: let them make up, we know
well, who is who!
Now the same thing, if you come to any of our chess clubs and ask
about the development of chess in the native land of Pavarotti,
they will smile at you still more condescendingly: what do you
mean? Even the first placed in Italy is our rather modest Igor
Efimov, not to mention the others. And then, just imagine:
seashore, hot sun, what chess can be there?
It seems to be clear: Italy is not a chess land, whereas Russia
is not quite a football land. But then please explain me how did
the Italian Godena manage to defeat in the struggle for the last
qualifying place for the World Championship (from zone 1.1) the
ex-Russian chess player Tiviakov who, among other things, was a
challenger once upon a time? He won in the match without losing a
single point. Looks very much like a victory of Torpedo over
Milan. Or probably I really don’t understand something
important...
The little - know episodes of Alexander Alekhine's creation by Victor Charushin
Playing chess for more mutual understanding in Europe. Press Release
Opening for White according to Kramnik" - II (English Opening)
Alexander Motyliov. "Chess has been always beautiful to me!"
Opening for Black according to Karpov.
Seagaard ChessReviews about "Mikhail Tal games 1949-1962".
Open letter of GM Valery Salov
Chess sites in Spanish
Lightning Chess
Valery Salov: Conversation with Alexander Khalifman
Valery Salov: Conversation with World Champion Xie Jun
Opening for White according to Kramnik
Gennady Nesis: The rich history of the ancient game
A. Khalifman. Opus 1, Opus 2
Puzzle (K. Mueller 2000, Original)
Bob Pawlak. CONFESSIONS OF A COMPUTER CHESS WIDOWER
Alexander Baburin: Launch of Two New Chess Web