image-www.hbf.lv
Images: Official site of London Classic/Ray Morris-Hill
Players left to r: Luke McShane, Hikaru Nakamura, Mickey Adams, Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, Malcolm Pein Tournament Director, Magnus Carlsen, Judit Polgar, Levon Aronian and Gawain Jones
Jason Kouchak – during the Opening Ceremony of the London Classic 2012
Jason Kouchak is a widely-acclaimed concert pianist who plays popular music and jazz as well as classical music. Jason was born in France and studied piano at the Royal College of Music in London, and at Edinburgh University. He has performed in major concert halls in London, Paris, St Petersburg and other venues in Europe and Asia. He has recorded five albums, including his own compositions, and appeared on BBC TV and the Japanese NHK channel. He has made regular guest appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and recorded and performed with Julian Lloyd-Webber. Jason’s tastes and talents underline the long-established link between chess and music. He is a committed and enthusiastic competition chess player, and played in the 2011 London Classic Open and 2009 Gibraltar tournaments as well as in other domestic chess competitions. Visit his site: Jasonkouchak.com
Anand Images: raymorris-hill.smugmug
It’s the London Chess Classic – again! It started today and I hope to attend it next Saturday, as my favourite – Anand is playing. The link of the official site is on the side bar – with the logo of the London Classic. Today’s games started with a small opening ceremony. There were a couple of musicians to entertain the group of spectators in the auditorium. Chess is free at the classics for children! On this LINK you can read my entry about the classics in 2009. You can see my photos of the 2009 event. For the 2011 classics I had tickets, but unfortunately fell ill and couldn’t go. How sad.
This is a ‘cento‘ which I wrote a little while ago, by using Shakespeare lines. A ‘cento’ is a poem written by using lines or passages of other authors in a new form or order. I used different plays of Shakespeare where he quoted something about the game of chess.
A Game of Chess
Sweet lord, you play me false
For a score of kingdoms you should wrangle
and I would call it fair play
How fares the king?
His hour is almost past
A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!
And I have horse – will follow where the game makes way.
I have his horse!
Give me another horse!
So, the good horse is mine.
My day’s delight is past, my horse is gone.
The rascal hath removed my horse.
Are the knights ready to begin their triumph?
A wandering knight?
I am undone! The knight is here!
Great shouts within all cry ‘the mean knight!’
Great is the humour of this dreadful knight.
I dare thereupon pawn
My life I never held but as a pawn
I have not pawn’d to you my majesty?
I pawn’d thee none!
I’ll send some bishop to entreat
The bishop will be overborne by thee
Wat says my bully rook?
There stands my castle!
His queen, it was his queen!
Queen of queens, how far dost thou excel?
Come hither, come! Come, come, and take a queen
Sir your queen must overboard!
Will take your queen
Farewell sweet queen!
I’ll move the king.
The skipping king, he ambles up and down
This may gall him for some check
No mates for you!
We’ll draw!
My lord, your son drew my master
Where’s the master? Play the men!
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown
Enjoy a some classical music – Haydn’s symphony nr 101 in D – the clock part 3- one of many favourites and Villar Rides. Unfortunately, not the whole track, but at least 3/4 of the track.
Another to enjoy
Villa Rides
Chessalee 
You lucky thing. Stuur ‘n paar fotos.
Hi Gert! Ek was gelukkig om in 2009 te kon gaan. Ek het kaartjies gehad vir 2011, maar was ongelukkig siek! Ek hoop om volg week te kan gaan, ten spyte van ‘n lesobservasie wat ek het net na die naweek! Ek wil regtig vir Anand en Judit gaan sien.
How much time do you actually get to play, Nikita?
Hi James!
I have one game going at the moment with a blogger-friend. I need to have a least one game going. Time for more is not enough. I wish I could play it all day…but… 🙂
So did you attend it?
hi Dan, Sadly, no. I couldn’t, was tied up in school work, assessment needed to be done and I was snowed under marking too. 😦
Too bad. I know you were disappointed the last time you attended one of these events, so I was interested in knowing if you liked this one better, especially now that you have more of an idea as to what to expect.
hi Dan, I was really hoping to attend, especially with Anand and Judith. Sadly, – as always – school work taking up too much of my time.
I don’t know if I ever told you, but I met all 3 Polgar sisters in Las Vegas in 2005. I was there to play (badly) in the National Open. They gave a triplex simul, in which they tooks turns making moves against each opponent, and I was one of them (of about 80). I lost of course. 😉
Hi Dan
Yes, you’ve told me that a few times. 🙂 And you also said that you were ‘in love’ with Judith and that she is the prettiest of the 3. 🙂