Rainstorms, sunshine and chess matches!!

Well, it’s been a funny old week so far. It started on Saturday, if a week can be said to start on Saturday, with another rainstorm that once again flooded the centre of Vigo with buses and cars ploughing through a couple of feet of water. On Sunday it improved somewhat but we had intermittent mist and cloud; the city came and went and the cranes on the port seemed to float independently.


Monday brought the arrival of a group of young chess players form Manchester to challenge a group from Vigo. The problem was that only half the group turned up. AirFrance indulged in a spot of “overbooking” and the group, despite having booked tickets on line, had no seats on the plane. Half the group got it sorted all the way to Vigo but the rest had to spend an unplanned night in Paris.

By Tuesday, however, we had the whole party and in the afternoon I started my new “career” as a media superstar, taking part in an interview on Radio Onda Cero, interpreting for the leaders of the Manchester party. We were most impressed with the mini museum in Onda Cero’s Vigo headquarters, displaying recording machinery such as I have not seen in fifteen years. In the interview the Manchester leaders promised to “kick ass” in the chess match. The Vigo bunch did not believe this was possible but in the event Manchester won the match 7-4.

Yesterrday the Mancunian players relaxed in Santiago in the amazing sunshine. As I write, the return match is taking place in the prestigious Círculo Mercantil here in Vigo. The chess club here has pulled out all the stops to have their best team this afternoon. We shall see what the result turns out to be.