А.Kentler

Alexander Kentler

Articles

INTERVIEW WITH ZHANNA THAT RESEMBLES HER FATHER MIKHAIL TAL SO MUCH
On November, 9 – 70th anniversary of Tal's birth – the Riga newspaper "Telegraph" published an interview with the eight world champion's daughter Zhanna in which she told about her today's life in Germany and her professional interests. She also shared memories of her father. It transpired that nobody had interviewed Zhanna before. I was touched by her dignity and her astonishing resemblance of her father. Gathering my courage I asked her some questions and now I offer her answers to our readers.

CROSSROADS OF OPINIONS. PETR SVIDLER: “FOR THE SAKE OF JUSTICE”
St Petersburg grandmaster Petr Svidler answered the questions about the results of Russian national team at the World Chess Olympiad in Turin.

BORIS POSTOVSKY’S MONOLOGUE
The honored trainer of Russia Boris Postovsky expresses his views on the results of Russian team at the World Chess Olympiad in Turin.

V.Korchnoi’s interview: “Genii and wunderkinds”
It’s always interesting to listen to Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi. It’s something like watching a blockbuster – you’ll never guess the development of the action. Our moviemakers are making the first steps in this genre: “Night watch”, “Day watch”. I offer the readers “Korchnoi: the watch”, in which the famous grandmaster (the watchman) as usual gives no quarter neither to the others nor to himself.

A.Kentler. CHESS IN BESIEGED LENINGRAD
War year’s events are described in detail in the book “Chronicles of chess St. Petersburg”. However, no original documents due to which they became known, had been published. Besides, documents and letters which are of direct relevance to those distant days that have been unknown or have never been published were preserved in A. Model archives. You will find some of these really unique materials in this publication, I will just supply them with brief comments.

А.Kentler. Break-through to the future.
The event that took place on the 7-8 of October both in Moscow and St.Petersburg could have gone unnoticed: there were only four children in both cities came to play chess. It's not a big deal! They played blitz – frankly speaking not the most serious chess. Children were sat in front of plasma panel instead of chess pieces and were given mice; however that is not surprising in the computers age…

A.KENTLER. GARRY-GARRY! IS IT CLEAR?
Try to imagine the following situation: Moscow, the Kremlin, it’s getting dark. The President of Russia V.Putin having finished his work is coming out of his office. A moment later M.Gorbachiov and B.Eltsin appear there and being absolutely serious begin to discuss a question who of them is the best president now. As each of them considers himself to be the best, both want to sort out their attitudes in the context of the verbal duel [ranged from “ponimaesh” (you know) till “consensus”]. Certainly such a plot is possible only in a cinema, in a madhouse and … in chess.