The third day of any long weekend trip is a dangerous one. By now, I feel like I live here at this hotel. This is my place, and I'm beginning to wonder where my wife and daughter are. Crepes Etc is my local hangout... even though I've only been there twice. I say hello to people I met yesterday and think we're old friends. In my head, I start making up friendly nicknames for the people I see. My entire world has been reduced to Central West End. And I've gotten a little too comfortable. Today, after a late breakfast at my local hangout, I went CCSCSL for the activities today. They've blocked off the street. They had booths and various chess activities set up. In particular, the Boy Scouts were getting ready for their live human chess match. They conducted the merit badge presentation. Astronaut Greg Chamitoff spoke to audience about the value of chess and the Boy Scouts. He talked about his time as an astronaut on the space station. We then watched a video on his experiences. Unfortunately, the video began with the song "The Final Countdown," and the moment was ruined. (Blame Arrested Development.) The event was well attended and well organized. I had a chance to talk with Bill Hall, executive director of USCF, for quite a bit. I met Lynn Hamrick who directed the Chess Kids movie.
(Me with Yasser Seirawan and Susan Polgar)
After the merit badge presentation, gears shifted to the first round of the Kings vs. Queens event. While waiting, I played chess with Jim Stallings. He destroyed me, but let's not dwell. It was good to play some chess.
Kings vs. Queens is an interesting event. Men vs. Women. First game is 960 (or Fischer Random) chess. For the second game, colors are reversed, and a rapid (G30) chess game is played. I stayed down in the chess club basement mostly to watch the commentary. Occasionally, I ventured to the top floor to watch the games live. I don't want to give a play by play. You can watch everything unfold here on the CCSCSL site.
After the games, I smoked a cigar, watched some men play chess outside, and then I went to Culpepper's Bar and Grill for a hamburger. Now, I'm back home (aka the hotel), typing this report and watching some boxing on HBO.
(Live Human Chess Match in St. Louis from Chess Club of Arlington on Vimeo.)
