Tune-in for Chess Talk with IM John Watson on ICC Chess.FM. John’s weekly 60+ minute show (members only) will feature an interview with leading chess personalities.
John’s guest this week (Tue., 13 Nov.) is IrishRussian Grandmaster Alexander Baburin. Originally born in Gorky, Russia, in 1967, Alexander relocated with his family to Dublin, Ireland in 1993. He is an experienced player, coach and writer on the game. Alexander was also manager and second for a couple of years to Alexander Morozevich.
He sells antiquarian chess books and runs his own chess school in Dublin, offering chess classes in schools. But his biggest contribution to the chess world is unquestionably his popular daily chess newsletter Chess Today, a venture he started in November 2000, and to-date has reached 2561 issues.
JOHN B. HENDERSON
I have a story about GM Baburin that might give an idea of what sort of person he is.
I traveled to Las Vegas in 2005 to watch the US open. It was a very long trip (6,000 miles in fact) but I enjoyed meeting a few friends from the chess site I played on at the time.
The final positions hinged on a game between Fillipov and I think Milov, I was watching the game closely, and thought Fillipov had an edge. When they agreed a draw I was surprised, and a little disappointed, as I thought there was some exciting play left in the position.
Later that evening I was in the lobby of my hotel when I met GM Baburin coming out of the lift. I had seen him look at the game in question a couple of times, so I asked him what he thought of the draw.
I was amazed by his response. He spent 10 minutes explaining to me exactly why it was a draw, reeling off at least 4 long variations which all ended in no advantage for either side. To be honest, I could not really follow all he was explaining to me, but I sort of got the gist of it.
I was so impressed on two levels. First that he could remember the game so accurately, when he had just glanced at it a few times. I cannot even remember my own games with anything like that clarity. Second was the fact that he took the time to explain it to a stranger in a hotel lobby, with such good manners and patience.
A genuinely kind and decent man.
I have only listened to one of John Watson’s internet radio interviews on ICC.
Watson’s guest was John Donaldson. Donaldson was extremely entertaining and informative.
GeneM , CastleLong.com