21 September will see an encounter at the Foundation between chess Grand Masters Vladimir Dobrov and Valeriy Nevyerov.
Scacchi e arbitrato
Grandi Maestri a confronto
Chess has existed since the dawn of civilisation, and ever since has evoked a conflict between opposing factions (black and white), but without physical violence. The players share the board and rules ensure honourable conduct during the encounter; above all, they accept arbitration based on precise, shared rules.
The highest level in world chess is the status of Grand Master, the height of excellence in the discipline. The title of Grand Master was first formally conferred by Tzar Nicholas II of Russia, who in 1914 assigned it to five players (Emanuel Lasker, José Raúl Capablanca, Aleksandr Aleksandrovič Alechin, Siegbert Tarrasch and Frank James Marshall), that year's finalists in the great tournament of St Petersburg. From the outset the title has been accepted as a symbol of union between peoples, and this is why the Tzar did not confer it - as he could have done - only on his fellow Russians, but chose players from different and often remote countries: Poland, Cuba, Russia, Germany and the United States. This is an acknowledgement of personal merit which is granted to just 0.02% of players on the current professional circuit.
By inviting to Miravalle Hill the Russian Grand Master Vladimir Dobrov and Ukranian Grand Master Valeriy Nevyerov - who have no political links to activists in any country and have not expressed opinions on the conflict between their two countries - the Opera Campana dei Caduti Foundation seeks to symbolise the possibility of resolving disputes peacefully and - above all - by means of accepting shared rules overseen by an external arbitrator, exactly as happens in arbitration processes in diplomacy. To this end the two Grand Masters will meet in a Blitz chess match (10 minutes' thinking time for each player over the entire game), at the end of which a symbolic prize will be awarded to the winner. The two chess champions will also offer local players and interested parties the opportunity to come to Miravalle Hill to challenge them in a simultaneous display. Each Grand Master will take on twenty challengers at the same time, selected from the many who register for the event.
Fide Master Aldo Rossi, coordinator of the event, will arbitrate the game between the Grand Masters and compile a pdf containing the most interesting games played in the simultaneous event and the entire match between the Grand Masters, with a move-by-move commentary. The Fide Master will also be responsible for communicating news of the event on specialist websites and blogs, as well as advertising banners.
To guarantee that the audience can follow the event, the games will be shown on the Foundation's giant screen, thanks to the use of a DHT electronic chess board. Where allowed by the protocols of the Foundation's website and social media accounts, this system allows the entire confrontation to be live-streamed on any platform.
Fide Master Aldo Rossi, coordinator of the event, will provide live commentary of the game between the Grand Masters and compile a digital publication containing the most interesting games played in the simultaneous event and the entire game played by the Grand Masters, with a move-by-move commentary. In this way anyone who knows the game, even at a basic level, will be able to follow what is happening on the board and the real depth of thought that lies behind every move. The advice is to keep your ears open, because - as Vladimir Nabokov would say - "In the game of chess, combinations are similar to melodies. You seem to hear the music of the various moves".
Article by Marcello Filotei
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS:
Date: 21 September 2017
11:00
Press conference - Illustration of the project - introduction of Grand Masters Vladimir Dobrov and Valeriy Nevyerov, and officials
17:00
The Grand Masters will play in a simultaneous exhibition on a total of 40 chess boards. Each will take on 20 different adversaries.
20:00
Grand Masters Dobrov and Nevyerov will meet head to head in a match of 8 blitz games (5 minutes' thinking time per player for the whole game).
