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Nigel in Iran
July 12, 2016
This announcement on chessdom.com:
1st Chess Stars Cup LIVE!
Jul 4, 2016
The 1st Chess Stars Cup takes place in Anzali Free Zone, Iran from 9th to 21st of July. The event is a 10-round match (in Scheveningen system) between 2 teams consisting of 10 players each.
There are 13 Grandmasters participating that represent World team (Sargissian Gabriel, Dreev Aleksey, Short Nigel D, Sokolov Ivan, Edouard Romain, Miroshnichenko Evgenij, Lu Shanglei, Mchedlishvili Mikheil, Vakhidov, Jahongir, Ehlvest Jaan) and Iran team (Ghaem Maghami Ehsan, Idani Pouya, Darini Pouria, Pourramezanali Amirreza, Mafgsoodloo Parham, Firouzja Alireza, Lorparizangeneh Shahin, Gholami Aryan, Khademalsharieh Sarasadat, Mousavi Seyed Khalil).
________
Sounds pretty good. Iran is getting its team ready for the Olympiad and is paying for foreign grandmasters to give the team good solid play.
Bandar-e Anzali (Anzali Port) is a harbour town on the Caspian Sea, close to Rasht. Bandar-e Anzali is one of the most important seaports in the north of Iran. Bandar-e Anzali has the most humid climate of any city in Iran, having a climate somewhat similar in its heavy autumn and early winter rainfall and persistent high humidity and low sunshine to the Sea of Japan coast.
________
Nigel Short is ready to go anywhere to play chess and he is in this tournament. He has posted almost daily to the EC Forum and intends to make his experiences an article in New in Chess. I suspect that they will make him persona non grata with the Iranians.
From:
http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=8507
Saturday, July 9, 2016
I am about to begin a Scheveningen Tournament in this God-forsaken place on the Caspian Sea (getting in some practice for Baku). I have no idea who the players are, what the website is, or why I am here - other than to give my liver a rest. Apparently Karpov and the beleaguered FIDE President will attend the Opening Ceremony.
The English Chess Forum is one of the few website, which I frequent that isn't blocked. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, the BBC etc. etc. are all no-go areas.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
on Friday, when I woke up, I had neither visa nor ticket. I can't say this was ideal, but then again it was not my fault that I didn't receive my official invitation until Monday. My visit to the embassy on Tuesday proved abortive because I didn't have the requisite travel insurance and without it there was no way they were going to let me into the country. The three insurance companies that I had spoken to said they didn't cover travel to Iran and, furthermore, didn't know any company that did. However, the consul informed me that InterAmerican provided cover. His information was accurate and so that was quickly arranged. Unfortunately, the embassy was closed on Wednesday, and so I had to wait until Thursday before submitting all the documents. I collected my my passport, purchased my ticket and travelled all on the next day.
The flight arrived in Tehran just before 2am. I assumed I would be collected and driven straight to a hotel whence, after sleeping late, we would be driven to Bandar Anzali. Unfortunately the guy who met me was also collecting two other passengers from the Moscow flight, which got in earlier at 01.20. The young Uzbek GM Vakhidov was already there, but there was absolutely no sign of Ehlvest. The baggage collection area is clearly visible from the arrivals area and no passengers from that flight remained at the carousel. Knowing Ehlvest well, I told the Iranian guy that he was probably completely pissed and that we should just proceed without him as God only knew if, or when, he would get through passport control. Unfortunately, this plea fell of deaf ears. After listening to the tedious refrain "Just wait 5 more minutes please" for a further hour and a half, I finally threw a fit. This brought results.
Vakhidov and I got in the car whereupon we were driven straight to the hotel - in Bandar Anzali, five hours away!! I didn't get to sleep until after 9am and suffice it to say I was completely wrecked. I feel a bit better today, but it is as if I have massive jet-lag - which is ridiculous considering that Greece and Iran only have a one and a half hour time difference. Let's hope I am fully recovered by tomorrow...
______
Romain Edouard (via Facebook)
Yay! On my way to Tehran through Istanbul airport. Tomorrow (in fact, later today) will start the biggest event ever organized in Iran: 10 foreigners versus the top10 host players.
Everything went so smoothly! Tired due to a night transfer I decided to have a drink and relax on my computer before catching my second flight, carefully following the clock.
One hour before the flight I calmly went to the Gate, which I have to say was not full of people. Indeed, my clock was still set on GMT+1... As a conclusion I get a night to enjoy Istanbul and will miss the opening ceremony and blitz Scheveningen match.
That's official, I am a true chess player.
Bravo!
_____
(Nigel) - wish I could miss the opening ceremony and blitz tournament.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Discovered yesterday that our hotel is about one hour's drive from the playing hall. To say that this came as an unpleasant surprise to the players would be something of an understatement. We will now move, this morning, to what is considered to be the best hotel in the area. Unfortunately it is still very far from the venue but it should (allegedly) slice off maybe 15 minutes travel time each way. It is worth having.
The opening ceremony was massively delayed because we were supposed to wait for the dignitaries i.e. Kirsan and Karpov. After the inevitable lengthy speeches, a video , presentations etc. we were supposed to start a Scheveningen Team Blitz tournament at 21.00. I abandoned it in protest after one symbolic game and arrived back in time for dinner. The others returned at midnight when, of course, the restaurant was closed. They got kebabs from a fast food joint.
It took what seemed like an eternity getting to the new hotel, in Rasht - at least an hour and a half by my reckoning. They claim that from here the journey to the venue is a mere 30 minutes, and that it is "only" 35 km away. A quick google search shows the distance to be 41 km and that it takes 54 minutes. I am getting quite used to be being told outrageous porkies by now. Anyway, they are providing plenty of material for my next New in Chess article...
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
I forgot to mention that, at the opening ceremony, Kirsan announced that FIDE would look favourably on Iran hosting the Olympiad.
Forget about the Israelis (I am sure Vice President Gelfer can be persuaded to support the measure) or the gross indignity of forcing hundreds of women to wear the hijab - what about the Bermuda Party? It is just a hunch but I suspect it might not swing that well without alcohol and with the religious police in attendance.
_________
Postscript – Nigel drew his first round game. You can see the whole tournament on chessbomb.com under the title Stars Cup 2016. Romain Edouard’s good luck persisted here and he beat Pouria Darini.
Stars Cup 2016
Anzali Free Zone, Iran
Round 1, July 11, 2016
Short, Nigel – Maghsoodloo, Parham
A00 Reti (KIA, English)
1.g3 e5 2.Bg2 d5 3.Nf3 Bd6 4.O-O Nc6 5.c4 dxc4 6.Qa4 Be6 7.Na3 Bxa3 8.bxa3 e4 9.Ne5 Nf6 10.Rb1 O-O 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Qxc6 Re8 13.a4 a5 14.Re1 Rb8 15.Rxb8 Qxb8 16.h3 h5 17.Qc5 Qb4 18.Qxc7 Qxa4 19.Bb2 Qxa2 20.Bc3 Nd5 21.Qxa5 Nxc3 22.Qxc3 Rd8 23.Rd1 Qb3 24.Ra1 Qxc3 25.dxc3 f5 26.e3 Rd2 27.Rc1 Kf7 28.h4 Kf6 29.Kf1 g5 30.Ke1 Rb2 31.hxg5+ Kxg5 32.Bf1 h4 33.gxh4+ Kxh4 34.Be2 Kg5 35.Bd1 f4 36.Bc2 Bf5 37.Kd2 Kg4 38.Rh1 Kf3 39.Rh4 Bg4 40.Kc1 Rb5 41.Bxe4+ Kxe4 42.Rxg4 Kd3 43.exf4 Kxc3 44.Rg5 Rb6 45.Rg3+ Kd4 46.f5 Ke5 47.Rf3 Rb3 48.Rxb3 cxb3 49.Kb2 Kxf5 50.Kxb3 Kf4 51.Ka2 Kf3 52.Ka1 Kxf2 1/2-1/2
July 12, 2016
This announcement on chessdom.com:
1st Chess Stars Cup LIVE!
Jul 4, 2016
The 1st Chess Stars Cup takes place in Anzali Free Zone, Iran from 9th to 21st of July. The event is a 10-round match (in Scheveningen system) between 2 teams consisting of 10 players each.
There are 13 Grandmasters participating that represent World team (Sargissian Gabriel, Dreev Aleksey, Short Nigel D, Sokolov Ivan, Edouard Romain, Miroshnichenko Evgenij, Lu Shanglei, Mchedlishvili Mikheil, Vakhidov, Jahongir, Ehlvest Jaan) and Iran team (Ghaem Maghami Ehsan, Idani Pouya, Darini Pouria, Pourramezanali Amirreza, Mafgsoodloo Parham, Firouzja Alireza, Lorparizangeneh Shahin, Gholami Aryan, Khademalsharieh Sarasadat, Mousavi Seyed Khalil).
________
Sounds pretty good. Iran is getting its team ready for the Olympiad and is paying for foreign grandmasters to give the team good solid play.
Bandar-e Anzali (Anzali Port) is a harbour town on the Caspian Sea, close to Rasht. Bandar-e Anzali is one of the most important seaports in the north of Iran. Bandar-e Anzali has the most humid climate of any city in Iran, having a climate somewhat similar in its heavy autumn and early winter rainfall and persistent high humidity and low sunshine to the Sea of Japan coast.
________
Nigel Short is ready to go anywhere to play chess and he is in this tournament. He has posted almost daily to the EC Forum and intends to make his experiences an article in New in Chess. I suspect that they will make him persona non grata with the Iranians.
From:
http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=8507
Saturday, July 9, 2016
I am about to begin a Scheveningen Tournament in this God-forsaken place on the Caspian Sea (getting in some practice for Baku). I have no idea who the players are, what the website is, or why I am here - other than to give my liver a rest. Apparently Karpov and the beleaguered FIDE President will attend the Opening Ceremony.
The English Chess Forum is one of the few website, which I frequent that isn't blocked. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, the BBC etc. etc. are all no-go areas.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
on Friday, when I woke up, I had neither visa nor ticket. I can't say this was ideal, but then again it was not my fault that I didn't receive my official invitation until Monday. My visit to the embassy on Tuesday proved abortive because I didn't have the requisite travel insurance and without it there was no way they were going to let me into the country. The three insurance companies that I had spoken to said they didn't cover travel to Iran and, furthermore, didn't know any company that did. However, the consul informed me that InterAmerican provided cover. His information was accurate and so that was quickly arranged. Unfortunately, the embassy was closed on Wednesday, and so I had to wait until Thursday before submitting all the documents. I collected my my passport, purchased my ticket and travelled all on the next day.
The flight arrived in Tehran just before 2am. I assumed I would be collected and driven straight to a hotel whence, after sleeping late, we would be driven to Bandar Anzali. Unfortunately the guy who met me was also collecting two other passengers from the Moscow flight, which got in earlier at 01.20. The young Uzbek GM Vakhidov was already there, but there was absolutely no sign of Ehlvest. The baggage collection area is clearly visible from the arrivals area and no passengers from that flight remained at the carousel. Knowing Ehlvest well, I told the Iranian guy that he was probably completely pissed and that we should just proceed without him as God only knew if, or when, he would get through passport control. Unfortunately, this plea fell of deaf ears. After listening to the tedious refrain "Just wait 5 more minutes please" for a further hour and a half, I finally threw a fit. This brought results.
Vakhidov and I got in the car whereupon we were driven straight to the hotel - in Bandar Anzali, five hours away!! I didn't get to sleep until after 9am and suffice it to say I was completely wrecked. I feel a bit better today, but it is as if I have massive jet-lag - which is ridiculous considering that Greece and Iran only have a one and a half hour time difference. Let's hope I am fully recovered by tomorrow...
______
Romain Edouard (via Facebook)
Yay! On my way to Tehran through Istanbul airport. Tomorrow (in fact, later today) will start the biggest event ever organized in Iran: 10 foreigners versus the top10 host players.
Everything went so smoothly! Tired due to a night transfer I decided to have a drink and relax on my computer before catching my second flight, carefully following the clock.
One hour before the flight I calmly went to the Gate, which I have to say was not full of people. Indeed, my clock was still set on GMT+1... As a conclusion I get a night to enjoy Istanbul and will miss the opening ceremony and blitz Scheveningen match.
That's official, I am a true chess player.
Bravo!
_____
(Nigel) - wish I could miss the opening ceremony and blitz tournament.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Discovered yesterday that our hotel is about one hour's drive from the playing hall. To say that this came as an unpleasant surprise to the players would be something of an understatement. We will now move, this morning, to what is considered to be the best hotel in the area. Unfortunately it is still very far from the venue but it should (allegedly) slice off maybe 15 minutes travel time each way. It is worth having.
The opening ceremony was massively delayed because we were supposed to wait for the dignitaries i.e. Kirsan and Karpov. After the inevitable lengthy speeches, a video , presentations etc. we were supposed to start a Scheveningen Team Blitz tournament at 21.00. I abandoned it in protest after one symbolic game and arrived back in time for dinner. The others returned at midnight when, of course, the restaurant was closed. They got kebabs from a fast food joint.
It took what seemed like an eternity getting to the new hotel, in Rasht - at least an hour and a half by my reckoning. They claim that from here the journey to the venue is a mere 30 minutes, and that it is "only" 35 km away. A quick google search shows the distance to be 41 km and that it takes 54 minutes. I am getting quite used to be being told outrageous porkies by now. Anyway, they are providing plenty of material for my next New in Chess article...
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
I forgot to mention that, at the opening ceremony, Kirsan announced that FIDE would look favourably on Iran hosting the Olympiad.
Forget about the Israelis (I am sure Vice President Gelfer can be persuaded to support the measure) or the gross indignity of forcing hundreds of women to wear the hijab - what about the Bermuda Party? It is just a hunch but I suspect it might not swing that well without alcohol and with the religious police in attendance.
_________
Postscript – Nigel drew his first round game. You can see the whole tournament on chessbomb.com under the title Stars Cup 2016. Romain Edouard’s good luck persisted here and he beat Pouria Darini.
Stars Cup 2016
Anzali Free Zone, Iran
Round 1, July 11, 2016
Short, Nigel – Maghsoodloo, Parham
A00 Reti (KIA, English)
1.g3 e5 2.Bg2 d5 3.Nf3 Bd6 4.O-O Nc6 5.c4 dxc4 6.Qa4 Be6 7.Na3 Bxa3 8.bxa3 e4 9.Ne5 Nf6 10.Rb1 O-O 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Qxc6 Re8 13.a4 a5 14.Re1 Rb8 15.Rxb8 Qxb8 16.h3 h5 17.Qc5 Qb4 18.Qxc7 Qxa4 19.Bb2 Qxa2 20.Bc3 Nd5 21.Qxa5 Nxc3 22.Qxc3 Rd8 23.Rd1 Qb3 24.Ra1 Qxc3 25.dxc3 f5 26.e3 Rd2 27.Rc1 Kf7 28.h4 Kf6 29.Kf1 g5 30.Ke1 Rb2 31.hxg5+ Kxg5 32.Bf1 h4 33.gxh4+ Kxh4 34.Be2 Kg5 35.Bd1 f4 36.Bc2 Bf5 37.Kd2 Kg4 38.Rh1 Kf3 39.Rh4 Bg4 40.Kc1 Rb5 41.Bxe4+ Kxe4 42.Rxg4 Kd3 43.exf4 Kxc3 44.Rg5 Rb6 45.Rg3+ Kd4 46.f5 Ke5 47.Rf3 Rb3 48.Rxb3 cxb3 49.Kb2 Kxf5 50.Kxb3 Kf4 51.Ka2 Kf3 52.Ka1 Kxf2 1/2-1/2
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