Time to move on

Today is my last day in the Solomon Islands. I've had an enjoyable 5 days , running a FIDE Arbiters course, but now it is time to move on.
I am off to the World Cup, which involves travel for the next 2 days. First stop is Brisbane, then Dubai, Moscow and finally Khanty. My plan is to do a lot of sleeping on the plane, although I'm not convinced I will be successful. Depending on my results in the first round, I will probably be heading back by the end of next week, just in time to run a few local school events in Canberra!

Ten years later

The first leg of my latest overseas journey is underway. After a gap of 10 years I am heading back to the Solomon Islands, to run a FIDE Arbiters seminar. Last time I was there (in September 2009) I was playing in the Solomon Islands International, which I was fortunate enough to win.
With the Solomon Islands hosting the 2020 Oceania Under 20's Championship, the Oceania Chess Confederation and the Solomon Islands Chess Federation have organised a 3 day seminar in Honiara to help train up more local arbiters. It's been a few years since I last helped run an arbiters seminar, but apart from significant changes to the FIDE Fair Play guidelines (AKA Anti-Cheating) most of the rules and regulations are pretty much the same.
Checking on my old posts from 2009 I noted that I was able to send regular updates from Honiara, so I expect to be able to do the same this time.

Lots of travel for a bit of chess

Starting early next week I will be off on one of the stranger chess adventures I have ever had. My first port of call is Honiara, in the Solomon Islands, to run a FIDE Arbiters training course. The day after that finishes I am off to Khanty-Mansiysk for the 2019 World Cup, going via Brisbane, Dubai and Moscow. While the first part of the trip was planned months ago, the second half of the trip only came about in somewhat strange circumstances.
GM Max Illingworth was the original representative from the Oceania Zone, by virtue of winning the 2019 Oceania Zonal. However, due to personal circumstances he was unable to attend the World Cup, which meant the runner up could go in his place. I was the runner up! So with very short notice I had to organise visa's and travel, which fortunately I was able to do.
Given the way the seeding system works, my first round opponent  is Ding Liren. This is obviously a tough pairing for me (not so much for him), but hopefully I can put up a fight. I would joke that I am heartened by the number of draws he had at the just completed Sinqufeld Cup, but the fact he has just finished equal first has convinced me not to.

On the (delayed) road again

I'm not sure if this is a common occurrence with professional chess players, but it seems that one typhoon can ruin your whole day. In the case of players heading home from the Oceania Zonal in Guam, Typhoon Wutip has thrown a lot of travel arrangements into chaos. There were a few scheduled flights that were cancelled today (the designated departure date), some justified, and some not justified. Flights heading to Manilla were the most affected, as the flight path crossed the typhoon's path, but the decision to cancel the flight to Taiwan by China Airlines made little sense. Every other airline flying to the same part of the world managed to leave Guam without difficulty, something that was noticed by a few of us who decided to deal with Typhoon Wutip by going swimming in the ocean.
The scramble for re-booking flights and accommodation was easy for some, and somewhat more difficult for others. In my case I made the mistake of booking with Expedia (never again) and it took 4 separate conversations before they were able to reschedule my flights. My favourite agent was the guy who helpfully told me I could fly on the 25th, and then confirmed I was still booked on a connecting flight that left on the 24th. Even then the re-booking now has me flying to Sydney (rather than Melbourne) where I catch a Qantas flight to Melbourne, so I can then fly from Melbourne to Canberra. The obvious change to a single Sydney-Canberra flight was rejected by the agent on the grounds "it wasn't allowed"

Last day away

Today is my last day in the UK. Flying out of London this evening, and will be back in Australia in around 40 hours. Its been an interesting two months away, with a lot of chess, a lot of travelling, and a lot of full English breakfast's. I made a number of new friends, while catching up with a lot of old ones.
Of course regular readers of this blog have had an idea of how the last two months went (from a chess point of view). I did get to a number of events I've always wanted to attend, and while my results weren't great, I did enjoy being there.
Speaking of results I think I ended up with 4 wins, 10 draws and 8 losses in my long time control games. I dropped around 60 rating points as a result, which I've decided to blame on turning 50! I did a little better at blitz, scoring 4/5 in the one tournament I played in to come 2nd.
I also directed (or helped direct) a few events. Being an assistant arbiter at Hastings was a highlight, while being part of the team at the LCC Rapid (450 players) was informative. I also picked up a different perspective on how events can be organised, and may try and bring some ideas back to Australia.
Overall it was a worthwhile trip and one I can recommend to other players. Based on the results of my son Harry, for young Australian players, try it before you turn 18 (to pick up the 40 k factor for your rating), while for older players, remember, it is still a holiday.

Normal service being resumed

I have touched down in London, but getting back online took me a little longer than I thought. Throwing a little money British Telecoms way seems to have done the trick, and hopefully this will keep me socially connected for the next month or so.
Yesterday was spent settling in to where we (my son and I) are staying for the next week and a half, as well as overcoming the urge to fall asleep at random moments. This problem may persist for the next few days, but hopefully will be conquered by the start of out first chess tournament.
For now it is a bit of sight seeing and exploration. Might drop in to see the early rounds of the London Chess Classic as well, and if I do I'll be sure to report it.

Heading out

Of to England tomorrow morning, spending the usual 36 or so hours going from door to door. I touch down just as the London Chess Classic starts, but as I will still be in recovery mode for a few days, I might not drop in until Sunday or Monday.
In the meantime I squeezed in one last game at Belconnen Chess Club before I left. It was a useful warm up before I go, but both myself and my opponent missed an import nuance on move 40, which would have turned my single tempo win into a single tempo draw.


Pearce,Tim - Press,Shaun [D20]
Swiss Festive Fun, 06.12.2016

The Grand Tour

Apologies for the somewhat sporadic blogging recently. Apart from work keeping me busy, an upcoming overseas trip is also taking up my time. Starting on Wednesday (7th December), I, accompanied by my son, will be off on a 9 week trip to the UK. Unsurprisingly, there will be a heavy chess component to the trip, with the London Chess Classic, Hastings International, a 4NCL weekend (and weekender), plus Gibraltar Masters all on the schedule. For some events we will be playing, while for a couple of others I will be an arbiter.
I will be blogging on the trip, so hopefully I can provide some on the spot coverage of these events. Given my current form I suspect my rating might take a bit of a hammering, but as most of these events have been on my to-do list for a number of years, I'm pretty sure the loss of ratings points will be worth it.
 

Tripping to New Zealand

I am heading off to New Zealand for a few days, in what may be my last chess related overseas trip for some time. I am attending a meeting of the Oceania Chess Confederation, and will catch the last day of the New Zealand Open while I am there. It also gives me an opportunity to check out the New Zealand Chess Centre, which is hosting both the tournament, and the meeting.
I know reports on such meetings are terribly boring, so hopefully I will find some other chess related news to cover during my 4 days away.

Off to the (expensive) Tromso Olympiad

Like a lot of people in the chess world, I am heading off to the 2014 Chess Olympiad. When the bid was received from Tromso, it did look quite impressive, but some people did suggest it would be an expensive place to go to. At the time this concern was mainly concerned with the price of alcohol, but it turns out just about everything is pricey. I expect there is going to be a degree of 'price shock' when the masses arrive at Tromso Airport.
Getting fed is probably going to be the biggest challenge, if you are not there as a player. The meal package seems to be around $110 a day(!), for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As this is the first Olympiad I will be attending as a non-player, scouting around for a good hot dog stand may be my best option. Even a load of washing is going to cost $45, so buying new shirts might be the most economical plan.
I am leaving tomorrow evening so the usual blogging caveats apply. Light blogging while in transit, with the chance of no posts for a day or two. Stopping over in London both there and back, otherwise it will be 15 days of reporting from Tromso.

Returning from Chennai

Having spent two days in meetings and conversations I am about to head home from Chennai. Sadly I missed all the World Championship activities, as it looked like it was an incredibly successful event. Certainly the hotel it was held in was very nice, and everyone I spoke to had nothing but praise for the Indian organisers.
One of the more interesting people I met while here was Andrew Paulson, current President of the English Chess Federation. He was also behind the organisation of the last Candidates tournament, and the recently completed FIDE Grand Prix series. He had a number of interesting ideas about how chess should be presented in the digital age, especially on the importance of commentators in selling chess to the non-playing (although still engaged) audience. He is still working on putting some of these ideas into practice and hopefully there will be new developments in the near future.

Off to Chennai

In what is clearly a case of unfortunate timing, I am heading off to Chennai, India this morning, to see, well to see the packing up of the 2013 World Championship. The actual reason for the visit is a meeting of regional (Oceania, Asia etc) chess administrators, to discuss issues concening world chess, and to look at development opportunities in the future (NB This is not being paid for by FIDE. It is being paid for by the Kirsan 2014 election campaign). Of course seeing some of the World Championship was to be part of the visit, but the match didn't last the full 12 games (obviously this cant't be planned for).
As the closing ceremony is taking place today, I may be able to catch the tail end of the festivities, although my very late evening arrival will probably even preclude that.

Heading home

After a month in Europe I will be heading back home tomorrow. As with my journey here this will result in some disruption to my usual posting schedule, although I will try and at least post something if I have (a) internet, and (b) a charged computer.
It has been an interesting trip, especially my time at the recent FIDE Congress. Some stories will no doubt end up as future posts, but for the really good ones (and even the boring ones), you'll need to catch me at Street Chess in the upcoming weeks!

On the Left Bank

If you find yourself in Paris, then a walk along the left bank of the Seine is worth taking. Apart from the enormous number of beautiful and historical buildings, you may be able to find some real gems in the book stalls that line the footpath. They seem to sell a mix of books, paintings and souvenirs, often specialising in vintage publications (newspapers, magazines). The topics are quite varied, but I did stumble upon one stall that was packed with chess books. It was located near the Saint-Michel Notre Dame metro station, and had around 100 second hand chess books on offer. Around half were in English while the rest were in French/Russian/Polish etc. They were all priced around 10 to 12 euros, so bargains could be had if you found the right book. Once again time was my enemy (and the fact it was raining(, otherwise I would have spent more time investigating the entire catalogue.

On the hunt for chess stuff

I'm still in travel mode, and am finding the change in time zones throwing me out. When I am at home (in Australia) I usually blog just before I go to bed a midnight, meaning most people read my posts in the morning. On the other side of the world (UK) I find that early morning blogging is easier, as I am still waking at around 6 am. So my posts are more about what I am going to do with the day, rather than what I have just done.
Today's travels should take me to the British Museum, and then on to Madame Tussauds. As we (myself and family) are doing most of travels on foot, the journey between to two will take us past the Chess & Bridge Shop in Baker Street. I last visited this shop 17 years ago (on my honeymoon), when it was located on Euston Rd. Harry and I will stick our heads in to see what was on offer, although we are under strict instructions not to spend to much!

Cross my heart and hope to die

I've spent the last 48 hours moving through airports, planes and sleep, although I did get some sightseeing done on arrival in London. Today will be the first full day in England, and it is time to hit the museums.
Last time I was in London for any length of time was on my honeymoon back in 1996. One of the things I saw then were the Lewis Chessmen, at the British Museum. Since then there has been some controversy associated with them, as the clamour for a permanent return to Scotland has grown.
I seem to recall that there were concerns that if they were taken to Scotland for exhibition, they may not come back (NB 11 pieces are already on display in Edinburgh). As this does not seemed to have happened, I assume that the respective legal teams successfully inserted a  'cross my heart and hope to die' clause into the exhibition contracts.

Time to flee the country

I'm heading overseas in a few days (Wednesday to be exact). Unlike most of my recent trips it will (a) last longer than 3 days and (b) have not as much to do with chess. The main purpose of the trip is simply to have a holiday with the family.  Most of the trip will be spent in the UK, with a side trip to Paris. However their will be a detour to Estonia, to attend the 2013 FIDE Congress towards the end of the trip.
As with all my trips, I will try and keep this blog up to date, depending on internet access. Of course it may have less to do with chess over the next month, and function more as a travelogue, but if I see any good chess items on my travels I'll be sure to report them.

Time to hit the road

A few hours of packing, and then off to Istanbul. As with most of trips to Europe (or even Siberia), transit time seems to be a constant 24 hours, so blogging opportunities are dependent upon stop overs and internet access. Part of the fun is spotting who else turns up at the same airports or on the same flights, although I've already been tipped of about some possible travelling companions.
If all goes according to plan I should arrive in Istanbul around 8am local time. The it is down to work almost straight away, as the first TAP meeting has been scheduled to start 'after breakfast'!

The people you meet

I've just arrived in Lausanne, after 33 hours of travel from Australia. The trip was relatively stress free, although I still cannot stomach airline breakfast food (I can keep the other meals down, but not breakfast). Having done a similar trip two years ago on Emirates Airlines, I will say that Ethihad provides better in flight service (ie multiple drink runs). When I stopped over at Abu Dhabi Airport, I also bumped in to Dr Nigel Short. He was travelling back from Japan, where he had just played an exhibition match with a couple of top Japanese players. As our planes were departing around the same time we spent a couple of hours drinking coffee and having a chat. The only other ting I've noticed (apart from the 100+ TV channels I get to pick from), is that Facebook has locked me out, which I don't think is bad thing. So if I'm doing 'instant' updates from the meeting, they will most likely go out via my twitter feed.

Light blogging

As I am travelling to (and from) Europe for the next 6 days, I expect only light blogging (depending on internet access). Hopefully I will be able to provide some updates from the FIDE RTRC meeting, as well as any other interesting places I get too.