26 May: Behind the scenes – part 2 (VIPs and Grandmasters)

After the chess and football and chess and art articles it is about time to take a look in the VIP and pressroom again. When the most important event on the chess calender 2012 takes place in the center of the chess world, it is no surpise that many VIPS and grandmasters step by the Tretyakov gallery to take a look, socialize,shake hands, meet old friends, comment to the game and to have a drink or two.

At most days, the playing hall is overcrowded, but there are some neat “public viewing” areas in the Tretyakov, where people can watch the games, listen to the commentary and talk about the games. As you can see, these areas are very popular.

Meanwhile, in the VIP room, you can follow the games, get a drink and a snack or take  a nap. Following the games is exhausting for some  guests…

…whereas the journalists and photographers in the press room perform a “journo shuffle” to get the best spot. You can see Cathy Rogers (Australia) elegantly performing the shuffle before the eyes of  official match photographer Anastasiya Karlovich. The Dutch jury gives 12 points.

A VIP giving a press conference on “Chess and Terror”: Edvard Stanislavovich Radzinsky (Russian: Э́двард Станисла́вович Радзи́нский). He is a Russian playwright, writer, TV personality, and film screenwriter. He is also known as an author of more than forty popular history books.

Another guest at the press conference last week: Anatoly Karpov, who celebrated his 61st birthday on 23 May.

After the press conference, Karpov was invited in the studio to chat about the game and his career with host Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam and Hungarian Super Grandmaster Peter Leko. According to the expression on Karpov’s face, this was one of the most exciting games of the match!

One for the girls: Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi (Russian: Ян Непо́мнящий; born July 14, 1990), current ELO 2716. Ian has a very difficult last name and I will never get used to it, although I met Ian at various Chess Classic tournaments in Mainz and had to write down his name very often, since he won the Ordix Open in Mainz 2008.

Here is an old “Nepo” picture I shot in Mainz during the Chess Classic 2008. Nepo is much easier to write, pronounce and to remember… He was wearing his lucky sweatshirt during the event.

After the press conference Ian played several blitz games with Maria Fominykh, under the critical eye of a 7- year old kibitzer.

Maria’s boyfriend, GM Alexander Morozevich doing an interview for ChessVibes with Peter Doggers.

Enter Garry Kimovich Kasparov for the press conference, having a quick chat with the legendary Russian coach Boris Postovsky. What is the security gorilla in the back looking at?

FIDE president Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov sharing the latest news of the Alien Conference 2012 in Moscow with Russian chess journalist Yuri Vassiliev, Sport Express.

All smiles: FIDE Vice President Boris Kutin (Slovenia) and Anna Sharevich (Belarus). Kutin is member of the Appeals Committee.

Peter & Peter discussing the games. Peter Svidler took his sons to the Tretyakov on two match days.

The Svidler twins Nikita and Daniel met Aruna and Vishy Anand after one of the games.

One of the strongest chess couples in the world: Robert Fontaine and Ekaterina Lagno.

And one of the strongest players in the world dropped by for a quick stop on Saturday: Levon Aronian. Levon will play the Tal Memorial in Moscow, which will be played almost immediately after the world championship match from 7-19 June.

I’ll leave you today with the “Moon over Moscow”: a quiet Saturday night in the streets and on the Moskva River.  The Russians are all watching the babushki at the European Song Contest in Baku.

22 May: Photo reconnaissance

In an earlier post, on 11 May, I wrote that I had skimmed some Russian newspapers in the hotel , looking for news and pictures about the 2012 match and chess in general. In “Vedomosti” (Russian: Ведомости, literally “The Record”, http://www.vedomosti.ru/eng) I found this picture  in the Sports section. I had never seen this lovely picture from the 1985-1986 match between Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov.

In the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow, I discovered the picture in the exhibition: “Chess figures of the 20th Century”.

And the text that goes with the picture:

Question answered.

19 May: Press conferences

Every day  honourary guests come to the Media Center in the Tretyakov Gallery to give commentary and press conferences. On Thursday, European Champion Valentina Gunina was invited. Here are some pictures.

On Friday, Garry Kasparov was invited, who gave a press conference and a simul for young chessplayers, prizewinners and champions of Russian, European and world championships. More about the side-events later, here are a few impressions of the press conference.

16 May: Behind the scenes – part 1 (VIPs and Grandmasters)

The spectators who come the Tretyakov Gallery go through an X-ray, enter the playing hall, don’t have to pay an entrance fee and follow the games at their leisure. In the hall they can listen to the Russian or English commentary with an infra-red receiver and a headphone (also free). Mobile phones or any other electronic devices have to be switched off, and it is strictly forbidden to use  flash on the camera. However, some incurable mobile telephone junkies do not even manage to switch off their phone during the game. But the security guys in the hall are tough cookies and when they catch somebody who is making pictures with flash, making phone calls during the game or if somebody uses an iPad and checks some variations with a chess engine app like Stockfish, (this really happened!) they immediately spot him and kick him out of the hall. This happens with normal spectators, but also journalists, photographers and FIDE vice presidents have to stick to the rules.

It is a bit odd  that both players are off-stage at times.

Big business and networking in the VIP lounge

But there is a lot more going on in the Engineering building  of the Tretyakov Gallery. If you are watching the games at home, you can see the wonderful HD live coverage and the live commentary. In the press room, many journalist from all over the world write their stories for magazines, paper and online newspapers. Camerateams conduct their interviews after the game and in the VIP room, special guests, dignitaries, FIDE officials, grandmasters and commentators socialize and do business.

Here is a look behind the scenes, in which I will show some off-stage pictures. In the next weeks I will post some more galleries, because there are many guests and grandmasters around and there are fresh VIPs every day.  Here is a first selection.

A true legend:  Yuri Lvovich Averbakh (Ю́рий Льво́вич Аверба́х; born February 8, 1922) is a Soviet and Russian chess player and author. As of 2012, he is the oldest living chess grandmaster.

Granmasters Joel Lautier (left) and Jan Timman chatting about the 4th game. Timman (born 14 December 1951) is a Dutch chess Grandmaster who was one of the world’s leading players from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. At the peak of his career he was considered to be the best non-Soviet player and was known as “The Best of the West”. He has won the Dutch Chess Championship nine times and has been a Candidate for the World Championship several times.

Timman did the commenary for game 3 and 4 with his compatriot Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam. They are the editors-in-chief of the renowned New in Chess magazine: http://www.newinchess.com.

After game 4 Timman did an interview with another Dutchie, Peter Doggers, editor-in-chief of ChessVibes. I suggest to organize the next world championship in The Netherlands to save travel costs.

This sweet girl is Valentina Gunina (born February 4, 1989 in Murmansk, Russia). She is a Russian chess player with the titles International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM). In 2006 and 2008 she won Qualifying Russian Women Chess Championship and 2011 Superfinal Russian Women Chess Championship. She won the gold medal at the Women’s European Individual Chess Championship in 2012 (Gaziantep)

In the middle is the Israeli Ambassador to Russia, Dorit Golender, talking to German journalist Dagobert Kohlmeyer (right). Dorit Golender has become the fourth woman ambassador of Israel in Russia. Even in Soviet times, Israel was represented in Moscow, by the legendary Golda Meir, who later became foreign minister and later led the Israeli Cabinet. In 1990 the Israeli embassy in Moscow, was headed by Aliza Chenard.

On the left we see Yury Dokhoian (Russian: Юрий Дохоян; born 26 October 1964 in Zyryanovka, Altai Krai). He is a Russian Grandmaster of Armenian origin. For many years, Dokhoian was Garry Kasparov’s second. In 2009, he started cooperating with Sergey Karjakin, being at the same time the coach of the Russian Women’s team. He is chatting with the legendary chess coach Boris Postovsky.

Hans-Walter Schmitt and Mark Izrailovich Dvoretsky (Russian: Марк Израилевич Дворецкий, born December 9, 1947, Moscow). Dvoretsky is a world-renowned Russian chess trainer, writer and International Master.

Dvoretsky is not only a phenomenal chess trainer, he speaks several languages. Here is doing an interview with Tamil  TV. The interviewer is Venkatachalam Saravanan. Nice chap.

Aruna Anand is introduced to Andrew Paulson  by FIDE treasurer Nigel Freeman.

Viktor Viorel Bologan (born December 14, 1971) is a Moldovan chess grandmaster. He did the Russian commentary in game 3 and 4. His major accomplishment has been winning the Dortmund Sparkassen 2003, ahead of higher-rated and well-known players such as Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, and Peter Leko.

Meanwhile, in the VIP room…a top level FIDE meeting with FIDE treasurer Nigel Freeman, American entrepreneur Andrew Paulson, FIDE Chief executive officer Jeffrey Borg and FIDE Vice president Israel Gelfer.

At the press conference on game day 4, the famous Russian poet, singer and songwriter Timur Shaov explained the connection between music and chess. Check http://www.shaov.ru for more information.

Shaov designed this beautiful pen. The chess journalist who writes the best article about the connection between chess and the Tretyakov Gallery will win this valuable piece of art.

10 May: Press review- new links

In the international press, the world championship match in Moscow is getting more and more attention. At the opening press conference, a vast number of  journalists and photographers were taking pictures and making notes, and they have to publish their stuff somewhere, right? If you have any links for me, in particular in the Russian media, please put the link in the comments. спасибо!

Here are a few links I would like to share:

GM Ian Rogers wrote an article for The Hindu with the spectacular headline: “Anand to play white in the first game”. The article is as always very good. Ian will be in Moscow during the match and he will probably write some more good articles. His wife Cathy is taking pictures.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/article3404606.ece

“Anand and Gelfand kick off Moscow chess crown battle” can be found on “RT Com”, with an embedded video of the first moves.

http://www.rt.com/sport/chess-anand-gelfand-tretyakov-moscow-world-champion-986/

“The Moscow Times” focussus on FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov : “Ilyumzhinov discusses unrest and chess in Syria”. The article, written by Howard Amos, starts:  “Embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad will be hoping that third time’s the charm after a visit from the head of the International Chess Federation and alien-spotter Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.” A good read.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/ilyumzhinov-discusses-unrest-and-chess-in-syria/458365.html

Viswanathan Krishnasway writes in “India Today” an article titled: “Viswanathan Anand is favourite in battle against Boris Gelfand.”

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/world-chess-championships-viswanathan-anand-vs-boris-gelfand/1/188325.html

In USA, we can read an article about chess in “The Atlantic”: “How America forgot about chess”. Santiago Wills writes: “The once-popular game is suffering from boring grandmasters and controversial leadership.” A story in which Magnus Carlsen is compared to Justin Bieber! OMG! And of course the author looks back at the Fischer-Spassky match.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/05/how-america-forgot-about-chess/257049/

And, last but not least, our Chess Tiger on Tour, Hans-Walter Schmitt  has composed a new set of pictures on the Chess Tigers website:

http://www.chesstigers.de/index_news.php?id=2644&rubrik=3

As always, enjoy reading! And don’t  forget to send me some links about the match.