Editor's Note: Elise Bickford's article, Chess in Translation, will be published in the September issue of Chess Life magazine. Bickford is a graduate student in Literary Translation at the University of Iowa and holds an MFA in Poetry from the Iowa Writers' Workshop.
Writers, columnists, photographers and analysts from US Chess had much to celebrate at the annual Chess Journalists of America (CJA) meeting on August 2 in Grand Rapids. US Chess took home 26 awards, including two of the “big three” – John Hartmann won “Best Story of the Year” for his January 2023 “L’affaire Niemann,” while WGM Tatev Abrahamyan was awarded the “Best Column” prize in her first year of eligibility.
Imagine a room the size of the movie theater, but bigger. From the front of the room rolls down a giant projector, where real-time chess action of the top boards is broadcast live to both the players and spectators miles away. On stage, the top three boards of each section are showcased, their tables standing firmly on the shining podium. In the two corners of the hall, myriad national flags wave proudly, displaying their vibrant colors in all their glamor.
“One tournament, three schedules” is finally ready to become, simply, “one tournament.” After six days at Grand Rapids, the “traditional” schedule is ready to welcome the accelerated six-day and hyper-accelerated four-day players to their one-game-a-day way of life. In anticipation of the final three rounds, today’s annotations come from award-winning Chess Life columnist WGM Tatev Abrahamyan.
Editor's note: This story first appeared in the July 2023 issue of Chess Life Magazine. Consider becoming a US Chess member for more content like this access to digital editions of both Chess Life and Chess Life Kids is a member benefit, and you can receive print editions of both magazines for a small add-on fee.