International Chess Academy vs. Long Island Chessmates: Match #4
By WGM Tatiana Grabuzova
Do you know the best recipe for dealing with jetlag associated with flying across an ocean?
In all the years spent at the ICA summer camp there were many different ways to approach this topic. Some years we would get off the plane and head straight to the Soccer field to join an already “in-progress” game involving coaches and students, while others, just barely out of JFK we would head for a theater in Manhattan…
However, this time Diana suggested something unique: a friendly match between the ICA and the Long Island Chessmates on Father’s day, traditionally strengthened by a blitz tournament for the parents with a picnic on the edge of the Soccer field to follow during which we would concurrently play a soccer game involving all the coaches, students, and parents.
The chess match was decided over ten boards played between the young representatives of both the ICA and LI. In reality, there were many more willing participants than available boards but in order to make the match fairer we limited the number of participants in the event to ten. The ICA won the first round 6:4 while the second ended up being a tie at 5:5. The ICA had the better of it on the top and bottom boards, while LI held the edge on the middle ones.
The winner of the blitz tournament among parents was ICA dad, and former ICA coach, Yevgeniy Lifshitz.
After the chess match the whole crew moved outside to continue the friendly socializing as the parents of both teams organized the tables for the feast.
The soccer fans, of which there were many on both sides, got to resolve the result of the second most important event of the day.
In the very beginning of the soccer match good old Mother Nature decided to test the seriousness of our intentions with a shower. However, the soccer players, as well as the spectators bravely withstood the test and the game was played regardless.
The funny thing is we will never know the official winner of the game. Despite the score clearly being 6:4 it is not obvious who won because both teams felt they were the ones who had six.
Either way this mysterious situation did not change the friendly atmosphere of the match. In fact does the score of the chess, or soccer match even matter? The main thing is that the FIDE motto: Gens Una Sumus (“we are one people”), perfectly reflected the conditions under which the whole event took place.
The meeting between the friendly-competitors of the ICA and the Long Island Chessmates went into its fourth consecutive year. Unquestionably we hope this tradition continues to the mutual joy of both chess kids and parents.
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