My husband, Roger Scowen, has been playing in senior chess tournaments for over ten years, and I have accompanied him. Some of our friends think I am crazy, “What ever do you do? You don’t know anything about chess”. If you are curious, read on …
Many of these events have been abroad in European or world championships, some in places I had never been to, and others I had never even heard of. The accommodation and food is usually in a four-star hotel at a special rate, with transport available from the nearest airport. While Roger plays, I am free to explore, relax by the pool, and talk to English-speaking people from many different countries. In this way I learned so much – for example about Spain, Ukraine, and Austria. After his
game we share a meal with other players, consoling some about a disappointing result and congratulating others.
Sometimes, I can help. One winter in Dresden, several team-mate guests in the hotel started suffering from Norovirus, and I needed to make several trips to the nearest chemist to obtain, by mime, some suitable medicine for diarrhoea and vomiting.
Many of the events have a rest day and arrange a coach outing to a local place of interest (such outings are always suitable for English speakers). We have visited Knossos in Crete, monasteries in Serbia, and a stately castle in Poland with rumours of buried Nazi gold and looted paintings.
The tournaments
The tournaments are almost always Swiss tournaments of nine or eleven rounds, and that the standards of the players varies enormously, from grandmasters at the top to players rated below 1500. The players are sometimes but not always willing for a peaceful draw. Roger realistically sets his ambition as not losing every game and finishing above his seeded position, even if it is just finishing 140th of 175 players. Team tournaments can be better – each team has four or five players, and four play in each round; Roger prefers to be in a five-player team. This gives players the opportunity to recover after depressing losses and and extra free days for exploring and sight-seeing.
The places
We have been to suburbs of Dresden and Vienna, visiting their museums, galleries, rebuilding, and opera. We have learnt about the breakup of Yugoslavia and subsequent history by going to the coastal resort of Sibenik in Croatia (including a trip to Split), Rogashka Slatina (a spa in Slovenia with a day trip to Bled), and Novi Sad by the Danube in Serbia. We have been to the capitals Yerevan (Armenia) and Vilnius (Lithuania), where citizens are still anxious about the return of the USSR.
Summary
If you have an independent spirit and your partner suggests playing chess abroad, encourage them and go with them. You will find yourself in an interesting and enjoyable place that your friends have probably never heard of.
— Pat Scowen, March 2022 (Photo by ᴊᴀᴄʜʏᴍ ᴍɪᴄʜᴀʟ on Unsplash)