This chess week has presented us with many challenges. On the one hand, those we enjoy most—those at the board, like the first four rounds of the World Senior Championship or Caruana’s victory in the US Championship. On the other, the sudden descent into the depths of the darkest recesses of the mind, amid accusations, torment, tragedy, and controversy. You know what I’m referring to, and in searching for an image that can encapsulate all the emotions I’ve experienced in recent days, I’ve chosen that of the olive tree.
In a world where the hope for peaceful coexistence seems to be progressively diminishing, the olive tree symbolizes that yearning for peace that seems increasingly unheard by those who decide the destinies of ordinary people. Motivations and intentions that trigger acts of violence, whether individual as in Rieti or national as in the various conflicts so close to home, seem to be entangling hearts and minds, unable to find the will to look beyond themselves.
Our chessboard battles are the only ones I’d like to see, and the spectacle unfolding in Gallipoli, in Salento, the land of olive trees par excellence, is a perfect testament to what competitive sport represents: respect, enjoyment, and gratification even in old age, when (here’s the olive tree symbol again) wisdom tempers the heat and allows one to appreciate the beauty of a match while watching a sunset over the sea.
It might seem like I’m describing a slow-paced, low-energy tournament, but that’s obviously not the case. While it’s true that the participants all have at least five decades of experience behind them, the ability to play well, to compete, and to fight remains ever-present. This is evidenced by the many matches that can be followed live or rewatched on the tournament website and on the main online sites, as well as the rankings that see a mix of surprises and confirmations at the top.
In the men’s Over 50 tournament, Polish GM Michal Krasenkow currently leads with a perfect score, followed by six players, including Italian IM Fabio Bellini. The best players are all there, ready to capitalize on the inevitable missteps that can happen in such a long tournament (11 rounds). In the men’s Over 65 tournament, however, the first surprise is here: Ukrainian IM Alexander Reprintsev leads with 4 out of 4, followed by a large group of 16 players, including our GM Lexy Ortega.
No one has a perfect score in the women’s tournaments. In the Over 50 tournament, Pia Cramling has already conceded two draws and therefore, along with four other players, trails the pair of Scottish GM Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (originally ranked No. 2) and Georgian WGM Inga Khurtsilava by half a point. The indefatigable Nona Gaprindashvili leads the women’s Over 65 rankings, with 3.5 out of 4 points, along with Russians Galina Strutinskaia and Tatiana Bogumil. Gaprindashvili’s energy at the chessboard at 84 remains impressive.
Between matches, visits to local attractions (primarily Lecce), and side events, the World Senior Championship continues its successful journey uniting “differently young girls and boys” from around the world. I’d really like to see the winners awarded an olive wreath, representing victory, wisdom, hope, and peace; in short, everything that recent negative news seems to distance from chess.
Above the controversy and media hype, what remains in our hearts is the profound sadness of a young life and the smile of a good boy who left this world in the grip of absolutely unjustified and unjustifiable torment. A boy who would surely have sat down happily to play with anyone, in Gallipoli, St. Louis, Batumi, or Charlotte, who had approached him for a game of chess.
Perhaps with olive wood pieces.
GM Daniel Naroditsky
Translated from the original Italian version
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