NICK BARNETT CHESS

A NELSON MANDELA Day Chess Festival is being hosted on 18 July 2020 by The Western Cape Chess Association, online! Andre Lewaks, president of WC Chess Association, says they realise the very important role of sport in the creation of social cohesion and nation building, especially in an unequal society such as South Africa. For more information, go to www.wcpsc.co.za * * * BIEL, SWITZERLAND is staging its 53rd ‘real’ tournament from July 18 to 29th. It is a welcome sign of normal, albeit a new normal. Biel is a triathlon of classical, rapid and blitz chess and organisers have set up special rules: GMs will be separated at the table by a plexiglass screen and players in the Corona Amateur tournament will sit at the same table 1.5 metres apart. They will be given their own set of pieces for the tournament, and will have the increment per move increased from 30 to 45 seconds, because making long moves or pressing the clock may require standing up. Face masks are optional. More information on www.bielchessfestival.ch * * * LEGENDS OF CHESS is the inspiring title of the the next step in the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour. Included are Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Gelfand, Vasyl Ivanchuk, Peter Leko, Peter Svidler, Anish Giri, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren. It is sponsored by chess24 and is the 4th and final event before the $1 million Grand Final. It starts on Tuesday July 21st and ends on Wednesday August 5th. * * * PODCASTS are the best antidote to boredom in a time of plague! This one from Ben Johnson’s Perpetual Podcast caught my ear: ‘Recapping the world champions I knew’ by GM Genna Sosonko. Sosonko was born in 1943 in Troitsk, Russia but later moved to Holland. His books have covered his chess life in the Soviet Union and his memories of both leading Soviet players and lesser-known characters in chess history. Ben interviews Vjeko Nemec. Although critical it is nevertheless an interesting podcast from a historical perspective. You can find it here: www.perpetualchesspod.com/ new-blog/2020/6/23/bonus-pod-recapping-the-worldchampions-i-knew-by-gm-genna-sosonko Another one I liked was from The Chess Pit: I'm Just A Natural Genius - Adult Improvement. However, a warning: It is a more of a casual chat about – wait for it – recipes and then answering listeners’ comments. If you want to get to the real meat of the podcast, start 13.5 minutes where the guys properly analyse adult chess improvement. (I am reminded of this quote by Paul Morphy: ‘The ability to play chess is the sign of a gentleman. The ability to play chess well is the sign of a wasted life.’) www.audioboom.com/posts/7621760-i-m-just-a-naturalgenius-adult-improvement-special *** Send any comments or news to thechessnik@gmail.com PUZZLE BY JC Andrews