ROUND TWO REPORT
 
This round was a watershed for many a Grandmasters! For the only International master in the field - a setback.

Before I tell the tale let me start by thanking all of you who took the time to send a message of support and joy. Watu receives them all and I try to write his comments and reaction as he makes them. I found out that he does read the reports as well, he laughed when I asked him of what he thinks!

Let me indulge you with some serious political & technical glitches making history, of course apart from our African duo doing battle here. By the way many will not know GM Hichem Hamdouchi, he hails from the North African country, Morocco. Remember this country? It was in the news recently tiffing with Spain about a piece of Island (a large rock protruding from the sea if you ask me!) which is a stone's throw from Hamdouchi's land. Spain claimed they saw it first!  (Perhaps using binoculars!!!) There was even wartalk and saber rattling on this that almost led to world war!!! Seriously now, I sat and thought, how long more shall there be Colonialism on this earth! They call it their OUTPOST!
 

FIDE is displaying a sensory board that is a BREAKTHROUGH out here. Indicative of their perchant for going HI-Tch is on display on your monitors as you seek to follow the games of this event Live! On round two, for Kobese-Radjabov, the gremlins were at in. Only after move NINE did the monitor come on and reveal that Watu Kobese played an opening which had no lasting initiative and hope for DRAW, let alone WIN (Some SLAV that made him a Slave of his folly).

Vladimir Koukaev, the commissioning programmer of FIDE, says that this is a state-of-the-art equipment designed by two expert companies one based in Holland and the other in RUSSIA. The chessboard is a sensor and the pieces are little transmitters!

While it has the properties of the "old" versions and let alone the likeness looks that may deceive you, this is the "real deal". The previous sensory board would track the pieces from the start of the game, this Version 05, as it now is called ID's the individual cavalry and can compute WIN, DRAW & LOST combinations simply by interacting with the processor!

Hey! Do you think what I am thinking? This will enable you to play against a computer with real pieces of our world and not MATRIX stuff! I think Africa can bridge the chess divide somehow with the help of this board. In any event, my advice to federation, this is a must to get and so cancel the order of the old and invest 800 Dollars for a set!
 
 
This day started with many players subdued. Even those who had played well in round one, a simple nod in the mouth-watering ambience of the Indian resturant they call Galaxy, was looking like an effort. IN and OUT, is what all were doing. The Indian playing contingent is seemingly split down the middle by age and gender. It always is the youthful TRIO Sasikiran, Harikrishna & Gangully who will be talking and laughing whisperly (Not to mention the strange eating habit of one Sasikiran: He douses his plain rice with water, then proceed to munch it with his bare hands!)

While the two brothers suffered convincing defeats; IM Watu Kobese at the hands of the teenage rising star GM Teimour Radjabov, and GM Hicham Hamdouchi at the hands of Mohammad Al-Modiaki, the young Indians had a roaring success! Sasikiran dazzled World Cup holder Anand with the Reti to the delight of All India! Gangully smacked the no.2 seed Russian Alexander Morozovich!

IM Kobese was abnormally still upbeat. After some inter-winking between himself and the sculpted Yermolator, he proceeded to shake the hand of teen-star Radjabov. The Kid was to many who observed, a little panicky. Perhaps because of the dashes to and fro the internet late in the evening maybe searching for Kobese's games. He settled non-the-less in front of the "closed book" his opponent is refered to by one GM." Where the hell does he play chess of late?"

IM Watu played some strange looking moves early in the game. It is as if because no one was watching his freezed monitor amongst the Twelve men section's. The Kid suddenly eased in tension and started walking about. Kobese's game was over before it begun. Many were easing into middlegames and some opted for draws when he resigned. The reception manager saw the two emerge amongst those with early draws and looked at me with total admiration and congratulated me, "Your man got a quick draw with black, that is now very good!" I noticed why he chose me!!! Two reasons: One because I am Black, only three of us here IM Kobese, FIDE Executive Omuku and yours truly. The other is a silly one: The card I am wearing says I am "Coach!" Hell, "This is why Watu played so bad," Mr. Campomanes, FIDE Hon. President quipped. "A patzer like me coaching Watu," I thought to myself! Attempts to change the card status failed but have now grown to like it... it quietly gives me fantastic illusions of granduar!
 
 
Folks, Watu was upset with himself, short of beating himself up! He says he followed an opening he did not logically interrogate, "I should have resigned after the boy played 11.f4!!! I was busted after that!" Radjabov denied he was a little nervous and agreed with Kobese's assessment that he was never in the Game until he delivered what he called" a tactical blow 15.Nxf7!!"

See Radjabov-Kobese, World Chess Cup 2002 (2), Hyderbad, India.

I will be back with some quick flashes and nice pictures. Will include myself as some are calling!

Jackie Ngubeni reporting from Hyderabad, India.
11 October 2002