Karpov in Simultaneous Chess Match in Havana University
Havana, April 22.- Former world chess champion, Russian GM Anatoly Karpov opened a gigantic 4,000 chess board simultaneous match at 7pm on Monday in Havana’s Computer Science University (UCI), during the fourth Cuban Sports Olympiads.
After being presented with a silver “Hombre del Futuro” Order granted by UCI, the Russian chess star played simultaneously in 10 out of 4,069 boards set in the Oscar Niemeyer square in UCI.
For nearly 3 hours a large audience watched the 12th world chess champion consider his moves in the simultaneous exhibition match as if playing in a world class tournament.
FIDE Master Ivette Catala was one of his opponents and she confessed to having the time of her life. “The fact that I lost made no difference.
Being encouraged and praised by one of my idols was a real bonus”, said Ivette.
Two hundred chess experts took part in the simultaneous exhibition match, among them Grand Masters Leinier Dominguez, Holden Hernandez, Walter Aencibia and Neuris Delgado. Well known Cuban sports stars such as boxer Felix Savon, judoka Estela Rodriguez, and former world boxing champ Teofilo Stevenson also took boards.
Karpov, 56, arrived in the Cuban capital on April 14, invited by Cuban sports officials to attend the 4th Cuban Sports Olympiads.
Here is the full story.
If you read a little more, it seems that Karpov played (only) 10 (yes, 10) of the boards. There were some 200 or so other chess ‘masters’ playing the other boards… ?
Kind of changes the picture somewhat doesn’t it??
Big event. To take part in such an event is a once in a life time experience for the lay man as well as for the Grandmaster. It raises the question why an event like this cannot take place in the U.S. . I think it is no coincidence here.
Bravo Cuba! I must admit that in this realm you overpass us, both in Israel and the U.S.
I admire Grand Master Karpov, and I’ve always thought, since that heady year of 1972 and Bobby Fischer, that there is something wrong that the United States, with all its mis-spent wealth, does not support chess!