Open Events/ 2014 World Open
U.S. Until the boom accompanying Bobby Fischer’s spectacular rise, America was a power on the international chess scene, but the game had not gained a strong foothold outside of the largest cities. As with soccer, the U.S. has the capacity to become a major player on the international scene, but progress along these lines is not guaranteed. For a better perspective on the state of
chess in the U.S., I spoke with Dr. Frank Brady. Brady is a luminary on the U.S. chess scene, both for the unparalleled richness of his publications on Bobby Fischer and for his leadership of the Marshall Chess Club in Manhattan—“the Wimbledon of chess” as we have heard others call it. Brady discussed the prospects for sponsorship in chess, new dimensions of support in universities, the public’s obsession with Bobby Fischer, and his own plans for the future; you can watch the interview here:
www.youtube.com/watch ?v=sFlfkd7vtPM&feature=
youtu.be. I also spoke with GM Yury Shulman, who
grew up in Minsk and emigrated to the U.S. in 1999, was U.S. champion in 2008, and represented the U.S. at a number of Olympiads. Shulman gave revealing details about the relationship he has had with trainer Kapengut (who also trained Smirin and elite GM Boris Gelfand), described his ups-and-downs in the World Open (with concrete discussion of two games), and previewed his role as co-trainer of both the men’s and women’s teams for the U.S. at the Olympiad in Tromsø, Norway. See the interview here:
www.youtube.com/watch ?v=qqwLs4OPcnc&feature=
youtu.be.
Here is my interview with Smirin conducted right after his win:
DAVID KERANS: This is David Kerans, for Radio VR in Washington, with the winner of the 2014 World Open, Ilya Smirin. Ilya, can you point to one game in the tournament that was especially complicated or triumphant?
ILYA SMIRIN: Well, to call it triumphant would be an exaggeration, but I would say my game against Kovalyov, Grandmaster Anton Kovalyov of Canada, in the ... sixth round, was really not a bad game. It was complex, but I managed to win it in a tough struggle.
And just now you have defeated the young Illia Nyzhnyk in an Armageddon blitz playoff …
Yes, he’s another Ilya…
We congratulate you on the win. Victories like this, and others you have had, are a reflection on the education and training of a strong chess player. Can you offer us a few thoughts about your trainer (Albert) Kapengut?
Well yes, he was my trainer beginning from 1985 [when Smirin was 17]. We worked together in Minsk until about 1990, and fruitfully. Of course he is a well-known theoretician, but he’s best known for his work with Boris Gelfand. They
36 October 2014 | Chess Life
Above: Vitebsk, Belarus in 1978. Below: Minsk, Belarus in 1984
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID KERANS/VOICE OF RUSSIA
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