Sunday 20 January 2013

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I quite like the recent joke "Before Facebook, I used to ring 153 people to tell them I'd been for a run". Since Friday my Facebook feed (yes I do have one) has been inundated with friends posting pictures of the snow covered landscape across the UK and Europe. Given it was 41.6 degrees in Canberra on Friday, I did not mind this.
However the side effects of such a heavy snowfall are not so great. The 2013 Gibraltar Chess Festival is starting today, and I suspect there are a number of players hastily rescheduling flights in a effort to get there on time. While the main event, the Masters, does not start until Tuesday, the expected travel chaos, may mean some players may have trouble turning up on time. Already GM Nigel Short has a colourful Facebook post up, describing the difficulties he is facing.
Assuming everyone does make it on time, the 2013 Gibraltar Festival is once again going to be very strong. Vasilly Ivanchuk is the top seed, and there are 8 players rated above 2700. Some preliminary events are starting today, with the first round of the masters starting in 2 days time. The website has a comprehensive coverage of all the tournaments, and can be found here.

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