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Grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk completes 20 board simul challenge at BIS-NY

Posted on: Monday, 23 March 2009

“Chess problems demand from the composer the same virtues that characterise all worthwhile art: originality, invention, conciseness, harmony, complexity, and splendid insincerity." Vladimir Nabokov

Saturday 21st March 2009 saw the arrival of Women’s World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk at The British International School of New York.

There are countless articles written about chess prodigies and so much information online these days that it’s easy to forget that chess superstars are also regular people. During the time I spent with Alexandra, listening to her entertain the audience and answer questions, I found her demeanor to be nothing short of charming.

I met Alexandra and her husband Diego before the exhibition at their hotel, where they told me how much their young baby Francesca had enjoyed FAO Schwartz that morning. On our way to school the couple gave me an insight into just how demanding it is nowadays to reach the top level in chess. I joked with Alexandra about the possible openings she might play against me, as I had my own particular preference, but she simply smiled at me and told me it would depend upon at which board I sat.

When we arrived at school Alexandra gave a speech and took questions from the floor. She told us that her favourite chess piece is the pawn, because of its hidden significance and power, and that her daughter has invented a new chess move, whereby pieces are simply removed from the board at will and thrown across the room. She finished her talk with this lovely comment, “I hope that all of your dreams come true.”

The 20-board simultaneous exhibition took place in the library and on entering the room I quickly set about finding my board position and asked Alexandra how that would affect the opening sequence. Keeping with her humour, she smiled at me again and said it would depend on which side of the room she started at. After a few words from Beatriz Marinello, one of the organizers and BIS-NY chess coach, the room fell silent and the contest began. Unfortunately for me, Alexandra started at the side of the room which meant I would not get the opening I had studied for. As she shook hands with every competitor in turn and made her opening move I started to nervously rethink my strategy. As she approached my board smiling, she could tell I knew what was about to happen. But then, out of sheer kindness, she gave me the move I had joked about with her in the car.

Play continued and one by one competitors were defeated and seats became empty. The radiant smile had all but disappeared as Alexandra demonstrated with a cold austerity the reason why she is world champion. Musavvir Khan Noorpuri was the longest surviving BIS-NY student, followed by Teddy Nacos, Ben Stedman and Tayla Brown. Claude Hopkins, playing under the U.S. Chess Trust banner, also put up a valiant fight. My own game was slowly coming undone as well and by now I had reached a point best described by Lewis Caroll:

Alice came to a fork in the road. 

"Which road do I take?" she asked.
"Where do you want to go?" responded the Cheshire cat.
"I don't know," Alice answered.
"Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."

The climax of the event came in the form of a one-on-one contest against a young outside player. This game ended in a draw. Following the simultaneous event, Alexandra took the time to sign autographs and have her picture taken with everybody who asked. She was presented with a commemorative clock from the U.S. Chess Trust and a bouquet of flowers on behalf of the school.

It was truly a pleasure to meet Alexandra Kosteniuk and a day I will long remember. Such occasions do not come around that often and it brought to mind one of my favourite quotations:

“Life gives us brief moments with another...but sometimes in those brief moments we get memories that last a life time.”

P. St. J Davies.

© 2006 – British International School of New York