Peter Long on Chess

Kolkata was great, Indian hospitality as wonderful as always... but it is good to be home! Everything can be found at www.kolkata2009.blogspot.com !

Well I have decided to go to Kolkata and will most certainly be looking to document my stay through an online diary http://kolkata2009.blogspot.com/ .

ASIAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP 20-29 DECEMBER 2009 KOLKATA, INDIA From 20-29 December 2009, Kolkota, India, will once again be the host of the Asian Team Chess Championship, men and women.   There are to date ten countries registered, with the Indian sub-content heavily represented and hosts India of course favourite, but a strong and serious challenge is expected from Vietnam, the top performing Asian team at the Dresden Olympiad 2008, while Iran, Indonesia and Mongolia are expected to also fight for medals. The event is organized by the Dibyendu Barua Chess Academy and ALLSPORT Management for the All India Chess Federation (AICF) under the auspices of the Asian Chess Federation and the World Chess Federation (FIDE) in Kolkata – best known internationally to be the City of Joy – and even better known to chess lovers all over the world as where the long standing Kolkata International Open held in September each year takes place. Now in its 16th edition, the Asian T

In the last few years the month of December has seen a Singapore Open – the Singapore International Chess Festival with a Masters and a Challengers plus various seminars – always a certainty because it was also apparently one individual’s main claim to successful international organisation in his own country. With the collapse of the attempt by the Kuala Lumpur Chess Association (KLCA) to save the Singapore Chess Federation the cost of the Commonwealth Championship, this same individual had essentially no choice but to announce it as part of the Singapore International Chess Convention, but also surprisingly announced as under the auspicious of the Asian Chess Federation. I was a little confused as I did not understand that the Commonwealth Chess Association needed its Championship to be endorsed by anyone other than the World Chess Federation (FIDE) aa in fact it is, like the ASEAN Chess Confederation, also a part of FIDE. But how would I know? This very individual who asked