This time I decided, that I will not just praise, even though I love Adrian very much and I regard him as a chess brother, father and teacher - all in one. But Adrian Mikhalchishin is also:

- a person, who thinks he's the most handsome and smartest there is, which is certainly (at least the first) not true

- a person, who thinks he's the most talented player of the 20th Century

- a person, who consequntially, thinks everydody else are just "patzers"

- a person, who has his personal opinion on every matter, and if for some reason he doesn't have one, he can produce it in a record time, so he gives the impression he knows everything about something for a long time,

- a person, who is, after every Slovenian standard, a pure "alcoholic"

- a person, who wishes to have every title there is and preferably all at once

- a person, who is always late and will definetely be late for his funeral as well and finally

- a person, who is so in love with himself, that he doesn't tolerate any criticism

Furthermore, his immense knowledge which he must acquire somehow. It's true he's extremely talented and has a great memory. All the data he acquires, just keeps storing somewhere in his sub-conscience and then emerges in more or less appropriate moments.

He's very kind and that has made him one of the most popular figures in the chess world. He's good acquaintance with almost everybody and knows almost everyboy personally. He used to play cards with Kasparov, he was a second to Karpov, a captain to Kramnik and Anand, he trained Judit and Leko. He used to train under Botvinnik, Smyslov was his mentor, he used to drink with Tal, he went to Petrosian's dacha, he also hung out with Spassky. He doesn't perosnally know only Fischer and maybe that's hwy the American became his secret idol...

He has a great sense of humour, which results in us laughing almost half of the time we spend together.

His complete honesty towards chess, which results in his desire to make chess and players improve constantly. His awkwardness, when he can't explain things that are crystal clear to him...

Adrian is undoubtedly one of the best coaches today, although that isn't so under the standard criteria for usual coaches. Adrian doesn't know anything about didactics or methodics. He doesn't have a clue about systemathics. He despises computer assistance. So, why? Mostly because he know everything about what he's talking about. And stands behind each and every word. And only great players can put into harmony every information, served here and there, by the way.

He also possesses many human qualities. He's a devoted and loving husband, a great and loyal friend - he interpretes friendship as something unconditional and complete. He speaks fluently about 10 languages. He has a very distinctive artistical spirit and completely understands conventional aesthetic norms. After looking at any modern painting, he can tell you instantly and unmistakably, if it's worth something or not.

He is Vice-chairman of FIDE Trainer Committee:

http://www.fide-trainer-academy.com...

*

"Decison making in chess" (video lecture excerpt): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkx3... *

<Part I>

The Golden Chess Age - The 20th Century!

Dr. Milan Vidmar wrote the brilliant book "Goldene Schachzeiten", which describes the 1920's and 30's. Vidmar, among other things, predicted a world crisis and that it would all lead to a catastrophe (which indeed happened with WWII). The crisis took a great toll in Western Europe, where many great chess patrons disappeared. The leading role was thus taken over by Eastern European countries, with great support from their state economies.

The second half of the 20th Century was thus influenced the most by the Soviet Union and some big events, especially the matches between Fischer and Spassky in Reykjavik 1972 and Kasparov and Karpov in London 1986, which was opened by the prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

I have actively taken part in the last part of the 20th Century in many different roles. "My Century" is slowly drawing to a close, its leading protagonists are slowly leaving the stage. Their places are being taken over by young, so very different people. Not gentlemen anymore, not highly educated, cultured chessplayers. There are hardly and top chessplayers who finished college (even though even the players from the NBA "manage" to do it!). The best players today are armed with different knowledge: Fritz, endless variations through and through. Their conversations are pessimistic, mostly about money, like in football...

How different was the chess world when Mikhail Botvinnik, upon becoming World Champion, received a sum of money much smaller than a winner of an average open tournament today. The photos tell everything, the first one where the elegantly dressed Botvinnik receiving a laurel wreath in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans and the second one, where at the end of an open tournament today only the ten prize winners remain and all the others have left. Their attire - jeans and a t-shirt. The players complain that they don't receive any time on TV. To show such behaviour, such people?

My mind wanders to Paul Keres, always elegant, a gentleman from his head down to his shoes. I knew millions of stories about him, but saw him only once, in the USSR Spartakiad in Moscow 1972 (teams competed with 6 men, 3 women and 3 juniors - for Ukraine Romanishin, Beliavsky and Mikhalchishin and two junior girls!). I don't know why, but I only saw him at that event. Like I had a feeling I was seeing him for the last time. In 1975 Romanishin wrote him a letter, asking him for some lectures in Lvov. Paul didn't even manage to answer. After a long journey his heart had given out.

At this Spartakiad the Ukrainian team was supposed to be led by another giant - Leonid Stein. But in 1971 Vladimir Savon from Harkov achieved his greatest success, although he never again managed to get even close to the Soviet champion title. In 1971 he succeeded and Stein, a legend of Ukrainian chess, generously offered him the first board. Even on the second board Stein demonstrated all his class, where he outclassed Smyslov in one of the greatest games of all time (Stein vs Smyslov, 1972) and won several more brilliant games. Unfortunately he didn't convert some positions, mainly because of his incredibly fast play (the only one who got close to him was Anand). He lost an important half point against Armenia's Karen Grigorian, who would die tragically a few years later while jumping from a bridge in Erevan...

At that time the seventh World Champion Vassily Smyslov seemed very inaccessible, but only a few years later we would be traveling (and winning) together to "Politiken-open" in Copenhagen. There Smyslov told me of some fantastic things from the chess history of the USSR, events behind the scenes of the world championship matches. There I also saw how Smyslov plays the endgame and the thing I remembered the most was how he would often sacrifice a pawn to improve the position of his king and pieces. Our flight back home was delayed by 5 hours, so we took a walk to the North sea. A fishing boat had just arrived and Smyslov bought about 10 silver fish and brought them home. That evening his Nadezhda Andreyevna mad a fantastic fish dinner at their dacha. Smyslov and his wife live in complete harmony. Both are deeply religious and Smyslov could be - with his life story - a role model for many a chess player...

Shortly? It's been 1 year and 7 months :-)

<Part II>

Botvinnik will be remembered for other things - his focus towards his goal, his analytical approach towards any problem.

Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was in many ways reminiscent of the Caucasus philosopher Nasreddin Hodja, who always had many ideas and witty remarks about any subject. His playing of blitz chess, with the mandatory short and incredibly funny quips is surely one of the all-time highlights of chess art. Once upon a time in Vilnius, Petrosian caught three young masters "in the act". Iosif Dorfman and Tamas Georgadze were throwing coins as close as possible to the line (with the winner taking all) and me - the referee and "secretary" of the duel. We were so ashamed we wanted the earth to swallow us whole, but Petrosian quickly comforted us and started telling us stories of similar games he used to play in his youth in Tbilisi. He then offered to be the referee himself, delighting us with his witty remarks in the process...

In those years (the 70's) gambling games were really popular during tournaments. Their biggest proponent was the young Leningrad grandmaster Alexander Kochiev, at the time one, if not the youngest grandmaster in the World. And one of the most talented. Where have those time gone and where are the talents of then: Ernest Kim, Vladimir Taborov? Of all, only Maia Chiburdanidze went all the way, only she became truly great. And what about the record chasing of today, when nations compete for the youngest grandmaster in the World? We all see it, yet do nothing about it. And read every line about the new record...

Nobody has written about the role of Belot in Soviet chess. Vladimir Tukmakov brought it from Odessa at the end of the 70's. During (literally!) every chess tournament a "B" tournament in Belot was held and participating and doing well was almost as prestigious as in the main tournament. Everyone played, even "arch-enemies". I have a photo at home from a London-Leningrad flight in 1986. Karpov and Kasparov's teams shared the same plane. Naturally, we played Belot and the teams were all mixed-up... Or another photo, this time from Tbilisi in 1978. My room, 10 AM. The nightly tournament is still going on, with Beliavsky, Tukmakov, Tscheshkovsky and Zaichik at the table... Or Efim Geller and his superb play paired with his son, who accompanied him on the biggest tournaments.

...The President of one of the biggest banks in the World, Credit Suisse, Willem Wirth playing blitz tournaments and listening with his mouth agape at grandmasters' stories...

...Groningen 1993, the very ill Lev Polugaevsky is trying to convince me about starting the "best" chess magazine in the World, with Joop van Oosterom as the financier. van Oosterom represented the Netherlands many years ago in the World Junior Championship (won by Boris Spassky) and is an an avid correspondence player and great chess sponsor to this day...

...The great Mikhail Tal, one of the biggest chess enigmas of all time. What drove him to so systematically destroy himself? Boris Spassky at the rematch with Robert Fischer in Montenegro in 1992. In the toughest moments, he and his second Yuri Balashov took a taxi and found the company of Soviet grandmasters who were playing at the Yugoslav team championship in Cetinje. All of the greats - Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik, Korchnoi - has many ideas and many small weaknesses. People - legends...

... Chess history, which is so strongly intertwined with history in general. Look at the influence of World War II: during those years, only one World class player was born - Robert James Fischer. But immediately afterwards, in 1946-49, we were gifted with many future top grandmasters, but the real explosion was in 1951, when the following players were born: Karpov, Timman, Andersson, Vaganian, Ribli, Sax, Adorjan, Torre, Ljubojevic! Each of them was among the best in the World at some point. We never had a "vintage" like that again...

... FIDE Presidents from Max Euwe onwards were famous chess personalities (the previous ones were officials first, players second). I received my grandmaster badge from the hands of Euwe's successor Fridrik Olafsson, who went on to become an important politician in Iceland and as President of the Parliament probably occupied the highest office among all grandmasters ever...

... Stations and airports at home and abroad. The Russian winters were responsible for long delays, it sometimes happened in the West as well. Rafael Vaganian and I once arrived in snowy Milan a day late and were greeted by a strike by the airport staff. We were out of money, but were saved by Edik Gufeld, who was nice enough to provide us with Stefano Tatai's number - Tatai owed him money for some articles...

...The most famous coaches: the highly principled Zak, the all-understanding and ever friendly Konstantinopolsky, the legendary Russian junior team coach Golenischev, who died too young; the author of the best training programs, "soft as wax", well-intentioned Koblentz, with his famous quips: "Misha, you are a genius!" or "Misha is sawing the branch on which he is sitting." The inteligent but very nervous Kapengut, the deep Oleg Dementiev, Mark Dvorecki, who pulled me into coaching waters and taught me a lot, the legendary Russian team and Burevestnik coach Oleg Postovski, nowadays in the US nad nice as always, and, of course, Anatoly Bikhovski, the greatest junior coach, who supervised so many genrations - from Vladimir Tukmakov to Alexander Grischuk.

My coaches, whose knowledge I absorbed - the slow but thorough Viktor Kart and his opposite, the practical Viktor Zheliandinov. Meeting the great coaches of the World champions Isaac Boleslavsky and Igor Bondarevsky, which were, unfortunately, merely coincidental, as both passed away prematurely. I only analyzed with Boleslavsky once in 1976 in Lvov - a fantastic game from the junior Spartakiad. We were introduced by his pupil, later coach of Bulgaria and author of one of the best books about endings - Mikhail Shereshevsky. The always happy and full of anecdotes Alexander Kotov, of whom we thought he would "live forever", and the unpredictable Slava Chebanenko, who was reincarnated through his pupils Viktor Gavrikov and Viorel Bologan...

...The unforgettable receptions at the Lvov airport after Ukraine's win at the USSR Spartakiad in 1979 or the World student championship in 1977, when four Ukrainian players were from Lvov: Beliavsky, Romanishin, Dorfman, Mikhalchishin and even the team captain was one of our own: Vyacheslav Mikhailov...

...The euphoria at the opening of the fantastic chess club in Lvov in 1982. Even the president of the Soviet Chess Federation Vitaly Sevastianov attended the opening ceremony , hand in hand with the World Champion Anatoly Karpov. A few years later Artur Yusupov and I attended the opening of another chess club in Chernovtsy. They opened it in a former church!! Whoever thought of such a strange idea? In just a few years, during the perestroika, the chess players were thrown out of the church and one of the chess centres of Ukraine slowly died away...

... Traveling with different groups of Soviet athletes to various countries, among them were Rodnina, Skoblikova, Saneev and many other legends. Visiting museums across the World - such a reward, gifted to us by chess for all of our sacrifices. Thank you!

... Through chess I met many giants - not just of chess - politicians, directors of banks, sportsmen, artists...

And for all of this I can only bow all the way to the ground to - chess - the most beautiful game in the World. Not a game, but a way of life, of course!

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