There were several ways of watching the games . Ticket holders could sit in the main auditorium and watch the action unfold ‘ live ’ for themselves . Elsewhere , the commentary room offered the entertaining spectacle of two of the event ’ s expert pundits dipping into the games as they happened , explaining what was going on , answering questions and speculating on what might happen next . These sessions were streamed live online and were dangerously addictive . ( I hate to think how much work I didn ’ t get done during the week of the Classic .) Out in the main lobby , more screens gave further opportunities for spectators and ad hoc commentary .
Garry Kasparov four games . Thanks to the generosity of the Classic ’ s driving force , Malcolm Pein , I was able to infiltrate this area with my magic VIP pass . Always conscious that I was probably the weakest player in the room , it was nevertheless a joy to listen to the comments and banter of so many ( to me ) household names , such as John Nunn and Jon Speelman . ( The latter ’ s flights of fancy were particularly wondrous to a pedestrian woodshifter such as me .)
Throughout the entire afternoon , unmoving in the front row , just a couple of feet away from me , one figure sat absorbed in the moves as they unfolded on the screens . Even if the figure had not been instantly recognisable to me , the frequent calls from Julian Hodgson of “ What do you think , Victor ?” would have pointed to the presence of none other than Mr Korchnoi himself .
As the games finished , the players would come into the commentary room and spend anything up to half an hour talking through the key moments of their game . What an amazing opportunity this was , and the packed room spoke volumes for the appreciation everyone felt for the players ’ willingness to give of their time in this way . Kramnik and Anand particularly impressed me with their authoritative but accessible comments , while Short ’ s irrepressible humour clearly made him an audience favourite .
For those lucky enough to have VIP tickets , there was a second room set aside in which a more informal running commentary was given by Julian Hodgson and others . Here , various grandmasters mingled and chatted , while keeping a watchful eye on proceedings in the
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At 79 years of age , the veteran grandmaster could easily be forgiven for a lack of attention at times – he must have seen it all before , after all – and yet there was no one in the room more focused on the chess throughout the entire afternoon . The energy and force of personality which had so drawn me nearly 35 years ago were still very much in evidence , and one can only marvel at the depth of the man ’ s love for chess that he remained driven to follow the on-screen events with such unswerving concentration . Sitting close enough to hear Victor Korchnoi passing comment on the games in progress was an experience I shall never forget .
As the day drew to a close , the results were in : Adams and McShane had drawn , while Short and Howell had lost . The Rest of the World bested England by 3-1 . Despite this , I came away full of admiration for the hard work of everyone involved in the event – to whom English chess owes an enormous debt of gratitude – and for the stars who grace our game today . The London Chess Classic is a highlight in the chess calendar , and long may it continue .
But I ’ m sorry , Messrs Anand , Carlsen , Short and Co ., if I had to name the undoubted highlight of the entire experience , I should have no hesitation ...
It was the close-up view of the back of Victor Korchnoi ’ s head .
- Andrew Farthing