The
Ukrainian city of Odessa is among the most beautiful of that
country. The city has many monuments, but one of them is world
famous–The Odessa Opera and Ballet Theatre, where since 1810,
the most beautiful concerts and ballets have been performed.
But
from January 4‑8, the opera house was not the only place
in Odessa where one could witness the mesmerizing moves of
great artists. The 1st ACP Rapid Chess Cup was played in the
Londonskaya Hotel.
Sixteen
of the best grand masters of the world met to perform in this
tournament, where one stumble sends a player home. Aside from
the knockout format, the thinking time per player was 20 minutes,
plus 5 seconds after every move. The player who ultimately
received the curtain call was 27‑year‑old Peter
Leko from Hungary, who defeated local hero Vassily Ivanchuk,
37, in the final round.
The
game which decided the tournament, the one we present today,
exemplifies true harmony of movement. The Hungarian stole
the chess board pas de deux, where all his moves were resoundingly
balanced and natural. Ivanchuk, perhaps a bit too adagio,
could not follow the rhythm and the concerto concluded in
the 32nd movimento.Bravissimo!
