02-08-2014, 12:14 AM
Dougie will post my reports to the front page. This thread to be used for any discussion on the Scottish Women's campaign.
Scotland's women (seeded 52) start their Olympiad campaign later today (Saturday) against Mozambique (119) in round 1. MOZ are relative newcomers to the Olympiad debuting in 2010 at 112th and finishing one better in Istanbul 2 years later. Full draw here <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://chess-results.com/tnr140381.aspx?lan=1&art=2&rd=1&fed=SCO&flag=30&wi=821">http://chess-results.com/tnr140381.aspx ... =30&wi=821</a><!-- m -->
Our team of Keti, Elaine, Ali, Carey and Joy have all arrived safely and are settled in Hotel Viking a mere hop, skip and a jump from the venue. There are much fancier hotels but none closer and we received a friendly welcome. So good to try the fresh waffles they make each early evening after our long journey North. There is a massive entry of 136 in the women's section alone so every spare room in Tromsø is occupied by chess players, captains and delegates. Our two teams are in different locations but will eat in the same places.
Tromsø may only have a population of ~70k but has the infrastructure more commonly associated with somewhere far larger. It is the capital for the region, situated partially on an island. Arriving at the airport is spectacular. Snow capped mountains rise from the fjords and the runway is adjacent to a sound covered by Sandnessund Bridge. Reminiscent although smaller and no less impressive, in context, than the connection between Denmark and Sweden so familiar to viewers of BBC4's scandinavian crime noir "The Bridge".
If the televised Opening Ceremony is anything to go by this will be a fantastic Olympiad. Speeches and interviews were short, to the point and demonstrated a remarkable grasp of chess and what it means with an absence of tired cliches. Norway has embraced our sport in a huge way and Magnus is the catalyst. His "lone wolf" appearance on stage along with the Norwegian team displayed dark humour and steely determination along with his usual laid back joviality. Traditional singing from a Sami woman, a blockbuster number from "Chess the Musical" and local folk rock heroes Violet Road showed off the local culture. However the nice touch was to flash all nations's flags on the big screen and announce the countries in alphabetical order. As each appeared its nation's players would rise and make some noise - the Africans were just so much better than everyone else at celebrating their appearance on the world stage. And that's what this global event must be - a celebration.
Scotland's women (seeded 52) start their Olympiad campaign later today (Saturday) against Mozambique (119) in round 1. MOZ are relative newcomers to the Olympiad debuting in 2010 at 112th and finishing one better in Istanbul 2 years later. Full draw here <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://chess-results.com/tnr140381.aspx?lan=1&art=2&rd=1&fed=SCO&flag=30&wi=821">http://chess-results.com/tnr140381.aspx ... =30&wi=821</a><!-- m -->
Our team of Keti, Elaine, Ali, Carey and Joy have all arrived safely and are settled in Hotel Viking a mere hop, skip and a jump from the venue. There are much fancier hotels but none closer and we received a friendly welcome. So good to try the fresh waffles they make each early evening after our long journey North. There is a massive entry of 136 in the women's section alone so every spare room in Tromsø is occupied by chess players, captains and delegates. Our two teams are in different locations but will eat in the same places.
Tromsø may only have a population of ~70k but has the infrastructure more commonly associated with somewhere far larger. It is the capital for the region, situated partially on an island. Arriving at the airport is spectacular. Snow capped mountains rise from the fjords and the runway is adjacent to a sound covered by Sandnessund Bridge. Reminiscent although smaller and no less impressive, in context, than the connection between Denmark and Sweden so familiar to viewers of BBC4's scandinavian crime noir "The Bridge".
If the televised Opening Ceremony is anything to go by this will be a fantastic Olympiad. Speeches and interviews were short, to the point and demonstrated a remarkable grasp of chess and what it means with an absence of tired cliches. Norway has embraced our sport in a huge way and Magnus is the catalyst. His "lone wolf" appearance on stage along with the Norwegian team displayed dark humour and steely determination along with his usual laid back joviality. Traditional singing from a Sami woman, a blockbuster number from "Chess the Musical" and local folk rock heroes Violet Road showed off the local culture. However the nice touch was to flash all nations's flags on the big screen and announce the countries in alphabetical order. As each appeared its nation's players would rise and make some noise - the Africans were just so much better than everyone else at celebrating their appearance on the world stage. And that's what this global event must be - a celebration.