Total accolades MUST go to the 12-year old Dronavalli Harika's total annihilation of Chiburdanidze. The little girl played sizzling chess of maturity, beyond her comprehensive years. I feel this may sound a little enterprising and perhaps nobody writes chess as passionately but hey! Don't blame me... I tell it like it is! From a layman's point of view then see if you understand what I witnessed!? To register her first WIN, she played the King's Indian defence structure... proud of being Indian, I am sure! In move 33, the seasoned Maya went {e5?}, this kid cool and collected, besieged the castle, simpified by getting rid of the "ladies," and on the 53rd move the indomitable senior nodded her surrender with a painful appreciation. So, do you think Indians were wrongly mortified when they assume that they are witnessing destiny unfold?

Back with Maharaj (the main man), Anand was on the canvass and almost "out!". He admitted afterwards that he was "packing my bags in my mind already!" But if this is what he plays while packing his bags, he sure is going to hang around top echelons of world chess for a while! Exciting stuff. I was running up and down to my suite when I bumped into GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov. "A quick draw, Rustam?" I enquired inquisitively. "No!!! I was killed totally!" said the Uzbekistanian with a wry smile. Anand, in a Sicilian Sveshnikov supposedly leading to a draw (I know this as a pet-line of Zimbabwe's IM Kudzanai  Mamombe which he nowadays fails to use with success in his resurgent hopes... as recently exhibited dismally in the Botswana open!), blasted his way into the history books! Folks check this tactical amazing blow, Watu calls it "home preparation," reserved for the big league, "unfortunately for Anand, he had to use it to dig his  way out of the mess he finds himself in!"

 

GM Nigel Short has long admired IM Watu's chess. Last year while visiting the Republic of South Africa (RSA) he made no secret of who he thinks is the best in African Chess. Put under pressure for touring the country without visiting the Black townships, he blamed it on the inept "white" organisers. Chess in RSA is embarrasingly white, it is the one sport that has resisted transformation even from the first square. The RSA Federation (www.chessa.co.za) has members who vehemently fought to uphold the "Apartheid" ideology. They are openly "anti-Watu Kobese." In fact, Watu received an e-mail from the man in charge of accusing him of being scared to play in RSA. Short of wishing him ALL THE BAD for the World Cup, I was reeled by this. So expect a Chess Freedom Fighter back home!!!! Well read the attachment for audi alterum partem. Worse is, the federation apparently stealthily attempted to stop Watu from participating in this event! You thought South Africa is FREE!!!! Not until Check-Mate I say!

Well, Nigel is really a good guy. Maybe "I'm now living in Greece," he answered to this one evening. He came to our team in Moscow to congratulate Watu on the LEKO drubbing! Now? He was at pains at trying to dissuade Watu from "trying to get at the top players necks!" He went on, "Look man, you have nothing to lose! Don't try and win every game! Let these guys come and get you. The way i see it... not being disrespectful!" He quickly pointed out with his face clearly humble and continued, "Every GM here thought and looked at you with, 'well, there is a free point!' If you after blasting Yermo into smithereens you opted for less glamorous openings and played for draws, who knows? They were going to trip attempting to avoid sharing spoils with you!" All along yours truly IM Kobese is giving GM Short a patronising and arrogant gestures as if to say, "Man I do not need your advise, now get lost!!"

Nigel jokes about a thing or two to ease out of this tension and indicates by pointing at his wrist that he is waiting for a call. Before he dashes off, and maybe reading from my facial disgust at him, Watu offers an olive branch, "I'm playing Azmai, tomorrow, right? What will you suggest my approach should be Nigel?" Well, you see now you should open with... {Sorry, can't tell!}." Watu goes to the Internet room, Nigel and I walk slowly towards the lift. "He is young and wants results, but the best chance for him is to frustrate the hell out of people like me! Drawing against him is a complete loss in itself! No one will want that especially in this event. It is like an open you know! I would like to help you Africans in this sport. For me personally, I do not put much effort lately, but I know a lot about this sport believe me!" off in the lift he goes.

 

There a big discussion underway about Watu's game with GM Alexey Dreev. Unbelievable stuff. It was a dead draw Azmaiparashvili argues with some top players and a FIDE official. "He missed it and messed it up completely." Remember Watu charged out of the playing hall uttering this? Well personally I did not see any chance for this in my analysis! Dreev in the morning said it loud to his Russian friends in English as if to declare "I was in control". Well, my video recorder does not agree! The poor super-GM was for the taking. He was rattled from the middlegame strongly giving GM Short's advice credence which Watu still rejected in the morning after to me. The permissible video footage was a revelation to say the least. At one point almost all the top players and officials were standing around Kobese-Dreev game.

 

 

Many were whispering and making their opinions seen by sign language. The clock was getting it... Bang! Bang! Bang!... from both players. Watu loves pulling up his sleeves when about to start thinking on his turn as if to say, "Bring it on!!!" This clearly did not go down well with Yermolinsky and Ehlvest. They appear on the film gesturing relatedly to this posture. Dreev suddenly grabs his head after a move as if to say, "Oh no! It slipped!" He closes his eyes as he pulls his hands towards his face, but painfully it looks past his ears!!! He looks again closely sits back and continues pounding the clock almost at the same time as his lowly-rated opponent! This goes on and on and on! At this point, the arbiter calls for calm. Radjabov walks away whispering to Mr. Omuku. He punches the air in clear delight. Maybe five more minutes goes by, Watu concedes with his head between his two palms. Signs and dashes past me without acknowledgement mummering, "This was supposed to be a draw!"

Everybody now settle for discussion right there on the board. It was the last game by almost 45 minutes! Every one is saying something... total commotion over there! One GM walks over straight to my camera and enquires "Your player? Is not GM, Why? Mistake?" I end the filming.

Many have now resorted to pure admiration to Watu. Many spectators in the computer view hall way were apparently jammed onto the monitor. It is second to second live over there. So, they enjoyed this spectacle a great deal too, albeit from the blitz moves only. Now every way I turn they ask me "Kobese?" hoping for an autograph. One old man clearly a chess ardent follower points out, "Don't worry! They do not know Watu's face, but every one knows the name. He beat our Grandmaster here before," referring to GM Dibyendu Barua.

A huge lesson sinks home for me! With lack of opportunities, Africans everywhere have no chance!

From the land of opportunity!!!!

Jackie Ngubeni reporting from Hyderabad, India.