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.
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.
Charlotte is the most populous city in North Carolina, well known for its NFL, NBA, and MLS professional sports teams. However, in recent times Charlotte is also becoming famous for its bustling chess culture thanks to the influence of the Charlotte Chess Center (CCC). CCC is an acclaimed hub for chess and is known to host prestigious open and norm tournaments year-round.
Day four of the U.S. Open saw the end of the invitational tournaments, the first master-on-master match-ups of the traditional open schedule, and the first round of the six-day Open as well. Let's get caught up!
In many sports, halftime is a great time for players to reset, gather their bearings, and map out their plans for the rest of the event. In the U.S. Invitationals, with its intensive two-round days, players get only one brief night to rest before the next day, and the fatigue players acquire towards the end of the tournament is a testament to how physically taxing chess can be. After the first double-round day, multiple players finished close to or even past midnight, and the field was all set for an exciting penultimate day.