|
Chess players against Olympic champions |
The first rest day of the Tbilisi FIDE Grand Prix presented an opportunity to hold a football match between the chess players and Georgian Olympic champions.
34 Georgian sportsmen were Olympic champions, winning a total of 37 gold medals.
A very strong team was lined against the Grand Prix participants:
Kakhi Kakhiashvili, 3-times consecutive Olympic champion, Manuchar Kvirkvelia, gold medalist from Beijing 2008, Giorgi Asanidze, gold medalist from Athens 2004, David Gobejishvili, gold medalist from Seoul 1988, Vakhtang Blagidze, gold medalist from Moscow 1980, and Ramaz Nozadze, silver medalist in Athens 2004, world champion in Baku 2007.
The referee was Nona Gaprindashvili.
Georgian team took a 2-0 lead before GM Alexei Iljushin, second of Evgeny Tomashevsky, reduced the margin.
After a short break and changing of sides there were more goals and the overall score was 5-3 in favour of Georgian Olympic champions.
Local IM Zurab Javakhadze joined the chess players in the second half. Javakhadze's flair sped up the play and he also scored two goals.
The druzhba continued in a traditional restaurant in the hills above Tbilisi. As Giorgi Giorgadze, president of the Georgian Chess Federation, said - "Gruzijski stol can last for many hours".
Speaking for all chess players, Peter Svidler thanked the organizers for holding the match and said it was a great honour to spend time with true sports legends.
More photos by Maria Emelianova can be found in the gallery
|
