On Sunday, April 25, 2010, International Master Vangjel Buli performed in a chess960 (Fischerandom chess) simultaneous exhibition against ten opponents (eight of whom were very young and two... just a little less young) at Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” in Florence, Italy, as a highlight of the 2nd anniversary of “Fischerandom Kaos”.
The event exceeded all our expectations with a great success of audience and participation, despite the “national-popular” concomitance of a... football match, to which almost all the classes of the neighbouring elementary and middle schools had been “invited” to attend it! The set initial array was the starting position number 70:
The event exceeded all our expectations with a great success of audience and participation, despite the “national-popular” concomitance of a... football match, to which almost all the classes of the neighbouring elementary and middle schools had been “invited” to attend it! The set initial array was the starting position number 70:
♘♘♗♖♔♗♕♖
Don’t be fooled by the vague resemblance to the so-called classical position (#518): the differences are substantial! In the standard position, in fact, there is no first move that — by force and right now — loses material for White, while at Fischerandom chess everything is possible from the very start! If in his prime Bobby Fischer recommended to “refute” the starting array of classical chess with 1. e4! — “Best by test” — who would believe that at Fischerandom 1. e4 may instead be “worst by rest”? The “theory” of position #70 already says it:
Rafael Artemovich Vaganian – Levon Grigori Aronian
2nd FiNet Chess960 Open; time control: 20 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Mainz, August, 2003
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Position #70
1. e4? f5! OMG! Now Black gains a Pawn by force, since after 3. exf5?? Qxa2 White would lose none other than a Knight! Hence Vaganian resigned himself to 2. Nc3 fxe4, after which Aronian somehow managed to capitalise on his extra Pawn. Buli graciously allowed two young simultaneists to take advantage of the “Knight motif”, only to show them that a piece itself is not guarantee of victry after all: within a few moves, the Queen of both youngsters got first marginalised and then trapped on a1! Two parents also took part in the “heterodox” challenge, and your scribe is especially happy that all participants (and all of them spontaneously) opted for the “Fischer mode”. Eight victories and two draws... of encouragement (Emilio and Daniele the lucky ones) was the score of Buli, who, as always, enchanted the audience with his competence, modesty and generosity. Per aspera sic itur ad astra...
For a pictorial report of the day take a look at the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” web site.
For a pictorial report of the day take a look at the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” web site.