foreign personalities, national champions and the prodigies Oro and Schnaider

It’s a holiday and Recoleta is teeming with people, most of them tourists visiting the craft fair Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar or waiting in line to visit a cemetery that ends at 2:30 p.m. has more people than that Shopping Opposite. Don’t believe. What these visitors certainly don’t know is that just a few meters away, in Recoleta Cultural Centerit’s about to start a chess party. By far, the strongest tournament since the pandemic: the master Szmetan Giardelli.

The homage to these two Argentine teachers was created in MI Thomas Darcyl and from Ricardo Costianovskywho moves at the ceremonial inauguration to remember her. There is nothing better than honoring their memory with an International Federation Category XII championship an average ELO of 2526.

Organizing a tournament is a serious matter four foreign major champions: the Norwegian Aryan Tari (2636; 88th in the world), the Bulgarian Ivan Cheparinov (105th with 2625, who finished 19th and reached 2718), the legendary Peruvian Julio Granda (109th with 2624) and the Spanish nationalized Latvial Alexei Shirov (138th with 2610), a genius on the board who was world No. 3 when they dominated Gary Kasparov And Anatoly Karpov.

If they play too Diego Flores (2567) and Sandro Marecothe best chess players in the country and the child prodigies Faustino Oro (2503; 12 years) and Ilan Schnaider (2402; 14 years old), what can I say. And they complete the GM Sergio Slipak (2374) and the MI organizer Darcyl (2360).

The referee Leandro Plotinsky, assisted by Eugenia Alegre and Giuliana Bosco, receives the cell phones, wireless headphones, keys and all the items that the chess players have. And then they are scanned with the electronic device detector. This happens in all tournaments. Check the rhythm of the game (90 minutes per teacher plus 30 seconds per move) and you’re done: Shake hands and fight on the boards.

While the champions play in a room with black and white tiles, the fans have the luxury of watching the games in an adjoining room Live analysis of the great teacher Diego Valerga. Alejandro Hoffman, Andrés Rodríguez and Mario Villanueva will also be there in the coming days.

Sometimes it’s a lesson, but it also allows for interaction with fans who suggest moves and variations. “Total” is always the module to be analyzed. However, as Valerga reiterates, “there are human movements and others that only a computer can suggest, but that we would not even do.”

At the end of the duels, the players enter the room and discuss their games with people. Many do not understand how Cheparinov suddenly appears and watches his departure with the people. This is the live broadcast on the platform Liches has one delay 5 minutes, as is the anti-cheating rule in tournaments, and then it’s over.

“I had already come to Argentina and visited El Calafate. Today I dedicate myself more to training than to playing,” says the Bulgarian after playing black with Mareco in 21 moves of a Queen’s Gambit. wasn’t Beth Harmon and their pieces on the ceiling to help them. There is no Netflix series here worth watching, no matter how brilliant it may be.

“Did I have a d5?” Slipak asks for a move after White was tied in 36 moves with Granda, who, by the way, expected Faustino to win. The Peruvian had an hour less than his opponent. “Can you fill up my thermos with water since I’m short on time?” he had asked in the middle of the game.

The duel that Argentine chess has enjoyed for several years ends after three hours in favor of the Golden Boy a fratricidal fight which was defined with an unfavorable g6 by Black in a time crisis. The kids play to win, and that was evident in the 35 moves of a Sicilian defense, Najdorf variation. Where previously the families of both exchanged impressions (Alejandro and Romina, parents of Faustino; Ram and Carolina, parents of Ilan, with their daughter Dana), now the time has come Fausti drinks water and counts his departure.

Darcyl leaves the playroom a while later and says, “That’s not easy, huh.” He has just lost with White after a tough 60-move battle with Tari that made him pay for an inaccuracy – as elite grandmasters usually do – and will immediately annotate his game in English. His calm is strange. It comes from the country Magnus Carlsenwhere chess is broadcast live on public television.

The final game to end was a nuclear bombardment of tactics and chess magic over four hours and 63 moves. Rabbits from the galley gave birth to the endless Shirov, whose face was once embroidered with white in arithmetic, and Flores, the brand new Argentine champion for the eighth time, equaling Najdorf’s historic record.

“What do you want? With Alexei, it’s impossible not to have an attractive game. I was very close, but I’m still glad I was able to fight,” he tells him.Turu“to this chronicler.

There will be promotions until Tuesday the 16th. Purely good action on the boards. A must for chess lovers.

The second round, on Tuesday 9th, at 3:30 p.m.: Tari-Cheparinov, Granda-Mareco, Flores-Slipak, Schnaider-Shirov and Darcyl-Oro.

The third round, on Wednesday 10th, at 3:30 p.m.: Oro-Tari, Shirov-Darcyl, Slipak-Schnaider, Mareco-Flores and Cheparinov-Granda.

The fourth round, Thursday the 11th, at 3:30 p.m.: Tari-Granda, Flores-Cheparinov, Oro-Shirov, Schnaider-Mareco and Darcyl-Slipak.

The fifth round, on Friday 12th, at 2:00 p.m.: Shirov-Tari, Slipak-Oro, Mareco-Darcyl, Cheparinov-Schnaider and Granda-Flores.

The sixth round, on Saturday 13th, at 2:00 p.m.: Tari-Flores, Schnaider-Granda, Darcyl-Cheparinov, Oro-Mareco and Shirov-Slipak.

The seventh round, on Sunday 14th, at 2:00 p.m.: Slipak-Tari, Mareco-Shirov, Cheparinov-Oro, Granda-Darcyl and Flores-Schnaider.

The eighth round, on Monday 15th at 3:30 p.m.: Tari-Schnaider, Darcyl-Flores, Oro-Granda, Shirov-Cheparinov and Slipak-Mareco.

The ninth round, on Tuesday 16th, at 2:00 p.m.: Mareco-Tari, Cheparinov-Slipak, Granda-Shirov, Flores-Oro and Schnaider-Darcyl.