MARK RUBERY CHESS
GM Jaan Ehlvest was once one of the top players in the world and it was surprising how quickly descended from an elite player to a journeyman grandmaster. He gave the following interview on chessdom.com a few years ago…
Q: What do you think about chess?
A: Chess is a sport that is rather secretive when played at the top level because these tournaments are only for an elite few. But chess is otherwise an artistic sport and so I try to make it easy for others to understand as such. Because of this I have written a book for children to learn chess. I try to teach children. Trainers look for students to win but teachers teach the rules and how to play.
Q: You have a Masters degree in Psychology, did that have an influence your book?
A: I have not practiced that yet. Of course that was very useful when I wrote my book on chess for children.
Q: Do you prefer to be a writer or a chess player?
A: Chess player as I belong to that group of people who has difficulty concentrating on a task for long periods of time. A writer needs to focus on the task at hand for a long time. On the other hand I have often been bored and lost interest at points during a tournament. Furthermore I have played at the very top level with the likes of Anatoly Karpov and Gary Kasparov and the tournaments I play in today are very different. Also I have been ranked as high as No. 4 in the world.
I am not saying anything bad about my opponents but today’s competition is not like it was before. There are more and more tournament and ever increasing numbers of strong players as a result.
Q: One of your books is titled Story of a Chess Player. You published the book? Is that a form of protest towards Estonian chess?
A: This book was written by me while I was in the USA but it was a book which talked about myself. I am not a crude person and have no intentions of attacking anyone. I merely told what the situation was with chess then, how I became one of the best Estonian players of all time.
I have to talk about these things as it is my duty and obligation to do so.
Q; You are still a citizen of Estonia?
A: Yes, I still am a citizen of Estonia and I also live there. I only play for the US Chess Federation.
Q: Why did you choose the USA?
A: Many reasons. To qualify for the World Cup I must play in the Continental and Zonal Championships. So I have an arrangement in the USA where I no longer need to travel and play in Europe.
I switched not for profit. Chess is a global game with many possibilities. A chessplayer can be a citizen of a country and play for a different federation.
Q: You have played chess for decades. Do have other hobbies?
A: I enjoy fishing and also playing tennis now because my stomach is expanding (shows his tummy and laughs).
Q: Who is your favourite chess player? A: Bobby Fischer
Ehlvest,Jaan (2585) - Andersson,Ulf (2605) [B47] World Cup Belfort, 1988
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 Qc7 7.f4 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 b5 9.Be3 Bb7 10.0–0–0 Rc8 11.Rd2 Nf6 12.Bf3 Be7 13.Rhd1 0–0 14.e5 Bxf3? (14…b4 immediately is played nowadays whilst the text move dangerously opens the g-file) 15.gxf3 b4 16.exf6 bxc3 17.Rg2 Qb7 18.Rxg7+ Kh8
19.Rg8+! 1–0 (19 …Rxg8 {19…Kxg8 20 Rg1+ Kh8 21 fxe7+ f6 22 exf8+} 20 fxe7+ Rg7 21 Rg1! Qxb2+ 21 Kd1 Qb1+ 21 Bc1 Rg8 22 Qxg7+ with mate to follow)
“Chess isn’t always competitive. Chess can also be beautiful.” (Walter Tevis –author of the Netflix hit ‘The Queen’s Gambit’)