Posted on 09/05/2009 3:04:51 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Maverick chess master Vladislav Tkachiev falls asleep at the board
Philippe Naughton
A Russian-born chess maverick has caused a stir by falling asleep at the board after reportedly turning up drunk at a grandmasters' tournament in India.
Vladislav Tkachiev, 35, who was was born in Moscow, raised in Kazakhstan and now plays as a Frenchman, had to concede a game at the Calcutta Open and could face further sanctions from the game's governing body.
Tkachiev completed only 15 moves in an hour in a third-round match against India's Praveen Kumar after repeatedly dozing off.
Each time he fell asleep, players around would try to wake him up with a shake of the shoulder, the Indian Express newspaper reported, alongside photos showing Tkachiev with his head resting on the table.
Some even offered him water and Tkachiev, having briefly refreshed himself at the change-room while his opponent waited, dozed off again and eventually had to be carried off."
Tkachiev, who is officially ranked 58th in the world, is known as one of the more colourful, fast-living characters on the chess circuit.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
I always hate it when that happens.
Oh well, “Knight knight.”
I guess he shoulda checked in earlier
Oh, well. At least it wasn’t one night in Bangkok.
For safety sake, I hope there was a dead man’s switch
lolz
Chess puts most players to sleep.
Ah, a variation of the Latvian corkscrew countergambit. The Latvian corkscrew sleeper gambit!
Tkachiev and his brother Evegeny - known as "the Blitz Brothers" - angered many chess traditionalists when they set up the "World Chess Beauty Contest"
"We're on a mission from God"
Must be those Russian psychics that Bobby Fischer was complaining about when he failed to show on the 2nd game of his 1972 World Championship match against Spassky. He claimed that Russian psychics in the crowd were trying to disrupt his concentration.
I’m thinking that they must have perfected the technique.
Chess puts most spectators to sleep.
Along with tennis, golf, poker tournaments, etc.
A Russian-born chess maverick has caused a stir by falling asleep at the board after reportedly turning up drunk at a grandmasters' tournament in India. ... Tkachiev completed only 15 moves in an hour ... after repeatedly dozing off.And who says Chess is boring!
"Do that again and
the Queen gets it!"
Vlad Tkachev is known to have a drinking problem. For a while, he was able to kick the habit, and had some very nice results in the last year - taking first in the French championship, getting into the top 50 in the world.
Unfortunately, it looks like he is in trouble again. This is really a shame, since he is said to be a nice guy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.