IM Emory Tate (right) takes on Morocco's  GM Hichem Hamdouchi at Calvia Chess Festival. Hamdouchi won in 66 moves. Photo from calviafestival.com.

Rumor had it that IM Emory Tate was traveling to Europe. In the past 10 days the popular Master competed in Spain in the Calvia Chess Festival (20-28 October) with 25 Grandmasters with a good chance at a norm.  Spain is one of the world's best chess countries and draws a diverse field of competitors. Such luminaries present were: Francisco Vallejo Pons (Spain), Stuart Conquest (England), Hichem Hamdouchi (Morocco), Ulf Andersson (Sweden), Sergei Tiviakov (Netherlands), Lazaro Bruzon (Cuba) and Kevin Spraggett (Canada).  Friso Nijboer of the Netherlands won the tournament with 7½-1½.

Tate ended on 5-4 which was good for 41st spot from 117 players. He played four 2500-rated players (Hamdouchi, GM Grzegorz Gajewski, IM Marcin Dziuba and GM Bartel Mateusz).  While Tate was unable to score against these players, he did not yield a single point to a lower-rated players. If this trend continues, it is inevitable that he will score victories over world-class players and vie for GM norms.

Posted by The Chess Drum: 31 October 2006