The 2010 Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk is a big success. There were problems early on and many people were worried that it would be a disaster. However, the organizers worked hard to make sure everything was ready for this global event.
Many players whom I talked to said that they are very pleased with the hotels, food, venue, weather, general hospitality, etc. There are very few complaints.
I have a personal story which I think speaks volume to the people here in Khanty-Mansiysk and the organization. Last week, I forgot my camera and computer cord at the venue. I thought that there would be no way that I will ever see these items again.
But some of my friends told me that they misplaced their wallets, cameras, and other items and everything was returned, without even a dollar missing. I came back the next morning and just as they said, my camera and computer cord were found and returned to me.
In general, everything is moving along very smoothly in Khanty-Mansiysk with the exception of the hotly contested FIDE elections. But after the votes were tallied and the results were announced, things became much more peaceful.
I have been friends with Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov for a long time. They are chess legends and they transformed our sport in many ways. I am happy that they are trying to make chess bigger and more popular. For that, I am thankful. They will always have my respect.
I have also known Kirsan Ilyumzhinov for a long time. Yes, many mistakes were made by FIDE and I was never shy to point them out, even directly to Kirsan and other FIDE officials. No one disputes this. But one cannot doubt Kirsan’s passion for chess. I am very thankful that he is reaching out to many of us to get feedback on how to improve things. He wants to improve FIDE and make chess bigger and better. He is listening to our ideas and thoughts. I am hopeful that the chess world will see many positive changes in our sport in the next four years.
Chess is not big enough to be divided from within. We must all work together to ensure the success of our sport. The big focus has to be chess in education. We have to work from the grassroots in order to build a solid foundation for the future of our game. I have been promoting this since 2002 and I will be even more active in the next few years to expand this part of chess.
Ali Nihat Yazici and Silvio Danailov have both done tremendous things for chess. What Ali has done for chess in the schools in Turkey is amazing. He is also behind many excellent international chess events in Turkey. I will publish an exclusive interview I did with Ali soon. Silvio on the other hand has transformed professional chess in many ways, from the Sofia rules, big money at Mtel Masters, to the Grand Slams, etc. Like them or not, we have to fairly recognize their achievements.
I cannot name everyone but there are many more talented people in our chess community who can do great things to help chess grow. We need to utilize all their talents and learn from them. The political bickering, backstabbing, personal attacks and insults must stop.
Maybe I am an idealist but I still believe that it is possible for people to work together in harmony toward our common goals for chess.
The 2010 Chess Olympiad will end soon. 2012 will be in Turkey and 2014 will be in Tromsø. The future of chess is bright and I hope you will join me and our chess community on this fabulous journey.
It’s Saturday Open Forum. What would you like to discuss?
Karpov and Kasparov need to help FIDE.
Susan: There have been many great games but what I would like to have is your opinion on why Magnus and Topalov have lost so many games and generally are playing badly compared to the norm they usually play at.
Easy, both were very distracted, Magnus with the Norwegian Olympiad bid and Topalov with the ECU election involving his manager Danailov. They have much less time to prepare.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
Very nice words from you Susan! I like your approach. Lets join forces and make something good for the game ! Nothing is impossible. If GM Karpov and GM Kasparov can cooperate together than why not Mr. Ilyumzinov and Mr. Karpov ?
One brick at a time but we will make it in spite of many evil chess politicians.
Susan: Has the United States hosted the Olympiad before..Are they bidding, and there going to be a time they will host.
The US has never hosted the Chess Olympiad. As long as the current USCF management is in charge, it will not happen. Here is the Chess Olympiad history:
1924 Paris, France
1926 Budapest, Hungary
1927 London, United Kingdom
1928 The Hague, Netherlands
1930 Hamburg, Germany
1931 Prague, Czechoslovakia
1933 Folkestone, United Kingdom
1935 Warsaw, Poland
1936 Munich, Germany
1937 Stockholm, Sweden
1939 Buenos Aires, Argentina
1950 Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
1952 Helsinki, Finland
1954 Amsterdam, Netherlands
1956 Moscow, Soviet Union
1958 Munich, West Germany
1960 Leipzig, East Germany
1962 Varna, Bulgaria
1964 Tel Aviv, Israel
1966 La Habana, Cuba
1968 Lugano, Switzerland
1970 Siegen, West Germany
1972 Skopje, Yugoslavia
1974 Nice, France
1976 Haifa, Israel
1978 Buenos Aires, Argentina
1980 Valletta, Malta
1982 Lucerne, Switzerland
1984 Thessaloniki, Greece
1986 Dubai, UAE
1988 Thessaloniki, Greece
1990 Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
1992 Manila, Philippines
1994 Moscow, Russia
1996 Yerevan, Armenia
1998 Elista, Russia
2000 Istanbul, Turkey
2002 Bled, Slovenia
2004 Calvia, Spain
2006 Turin, Italy
2008 Dresden, Germany
Best wishes,
Susan
Hi..I was interested in knowing how chess is helping mankind? In my experience people are so agitated when they lose. There is no good feeling while playing. There is perhaps thinking but what good is thinking that has no use? Anyways i am having difficulty keeping my cool when i lose in blitz games..help…hihi