So you think you are good at chess?
Those who believe they are, or just want to watch the drama unfold, will not want to miss what promises to be a very intriguing breakfast event at Shomrei Torah in Fair Lawn. The challenge will take place on Sunday, January 15, beginning with a sumptuous breakfast at 8:40.
Billed as the “Last Man Standing” chess tournament (although women will certainly be participating as well), Fair Lawn’s own Boris Gulko, the only chess player to have ever held both the American and Soviet championship titles, will compete against 20 other contestants simultaneously. The player lasting the longest will receive a $50 gift certificate along with bragging rights. So far, registrants range from a 9-year-old girl to a man in his 60s.
The morning is set to begin with a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese and onions, Belgian waffles, bagels and onion rolls, while Rabbi Andrew Markowitz delivers a short Dvar Torah entitled “Chess—Does It Have Jewish Roots?” to set up the main event.
The contestants should know that they will be up against incredible odds to keep the match moving. For those unfamiliar with the term Grandmaster, a title Gulko holds, it is awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Other than World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain.
Gulko has led a fascinating life. He became an international master at the age of 28 in 1975, Grandmaster in 1976 and the USSR Chess Championship co-winner in 1977. Shortly after, he and his wife, Anna, believe it or not a Women’s Grandmaster, applied to leave the country. Permission was refused and they went on to become prominent Soviet Refusniks. Gulko, very much the anti-Communist, was once even arrested and beaten by KGB agents.
After making his wishes known about wanting to leave the Soviet Union, Gulko was barred from top-level chess competition in that country for seven years. He was finally able to immigrate to the United States in 1986. Once in this country, Gulko continued where he had left off, winning the U.S. Chess championship in both 1994 and 1999.
Anti-Jewish discrimination unfortunately reared its ugly head again sometime later. In 2004, Gulko qualified to play in the World Chess Championship in Libya. Muammar Gaddafi’s son, who was president of the Libyan Organizing Committee, proclaimed “We did not and will not invite the Zionist enemies to this championship.” Gulko and several Jewish players from Israel were forced to withdraw from the tournament. In disgust, he wrote a letter to the president of the FIDE, imploring him not to be the first FIDE president to preside over a world championship that excluded Jews. “Our magnificent and noble game does not deserve such a disgrace.” The complaints were for naught, though, as behind-the-scenes wrangling did not lead to a change of Libyan policy.
For a sense of how good Gulko is at his game, he has a positive record against Garry Kasparov, with three victories, four draws and just one defeat. Kasparov was ranked number one in the world for 225 out of 228 months from 1986 to 2005, when he retired. Many consider him the greatest chess player of all time.
Reservations for the breakfast and tournament are $10. For more information, please contact Mendy Aron at [email protected].
By Robert Isler
Robert Isler is a marketing researcher and writer who lives in Fair Lawn. He can be reached at [email protected].
