11 Nov 2016

GM Igor Smirnov's 10 birthday photos that will make you smile!

This article is going to be written in a “sit back and relax” style. As I said, it’s my birthday time and I’m happy to share my positive mood with you! :)

1. I would never have imagined that this year would start like this for me. My friends woke me up at midnight and presented Indian national costume to me and my wife.
GM Igor Smirnov India2. At that time, I was conducting my seminars in India. I was shocked to see the HUGE interest in chess in India!
GM Igor Smirnov Seminars in India3. Wondering if Carlsen or Karjakin is the better chess player? No way! This guy defeated Carlsen in a simul (and drew against me in one!):
GM Igor Smirnov Simul4. You can read this article, as well as all the other lessons and RCA courses; thanks to the hard work of the entire RCA team. Many of my colleagues are Indian and I was very happy to meet them in person.
RCA Team5. The release of my first printed bookA Promoted Pawn: My Chess Journey, happened … in a hotel room :) The book production required lots of effort (you can see that on our tired faces …)
GM Igor Smirnov Promoted Pawn6. After India, I visited my students in the United Arab Emirates. And yes, I was given national costume once again. :)
GM Igor Smirnov UAE7. You might have heard that “chess is a model of war”. So in Moscow, I tried to advance my chess skills using military methods. :)
GM Igor Smirnov Military8. Do you know that “the king becomes extremely important in an endgame”? I talked to him and he confirmed this rule! :)
GM Igor Smirnov chess9. In Slovenia (a small country near Italy), a tour guide asked me: “Who is the current chess champion?” I answered: “Carlsen”. The guide replied: “Wow, he is currently in our museum.”
GM Igor Smirnov photoIt turned out that the guide had misunderstood the “Carlsen” name and thought I was referring to a hero in a famous Swedish fairytale – Karlsson. :)
Karlsson10. Finally, here’s an unusual chess puzzle for you. It’s from the museum of illusions in Hong Kong. Can you spot what is wrong with this picture?
chess puzzle illusion

No comments:

Post a Comment