Summer Night Thoughts

Bydgoszcz, Poland

It is late evening in Poland.

Have been playing a women's round robin tournament for the last week in a city I've never heard of before- Bydgoszcz. It's a little but nice, clean and green city. Have been surprised to hear a lot of different languages while walking around the centre.

It has been impossibly hot in the last few days and it's been a challenge to just move around from the hotel to the playing hall and back. The results are fine so far- 1 win, 5 draws. It is a free day tomorrow and then 3 more rounds to go... It is interesting how all the participants here are very friendly with one another, but once the games begin- chess recognizes no friendship, well, at least women's chess...

Perhaps it is the heat's fault that I felt the need to suddenly resurrect my blog. It's not like I felt I had anything smart or important to say, it is perhaps an urge similar to the one Firouzja felt last night when playing bullet until 6 am. 'Bad' habits die hard. 

A lemonade by my side, which I wish was wine gives me a judgmental look, like I'm the most illogical person on earth. "This blog again! What for?". The nice thing about these kind of conversations is that I can end them whenever I please, with another sip- just like that. Not all the questions in life need to be answered. Alireza doesn't need to say why, we know better anyway. I look at the lemonade and I can almost hear it saying "Discipline. DISCIPLINE." 

I have missed listening to my favorite songs on a dangerously high volume (God bless the headphones!) while just typing whatever crosses my mind. It makes me feel free- like chess does. There are no moves I can't make- there might be a price, I might lose, or win or make a draw, but afterall- it's just a game. "A game which your life is about!"- naughty lemonade... Continuing my line of thoughts, I have recently felt that losing a game is nothing compared to losing your house, your loved ones, your freedom, your rights... 

Luckily we don't have to ask anyone's permission when making a move on the board and in this hot summer night I just want to wish you to look at your lives as at a board where nobody restricts you and there are no prices to be paid but your egos.

"Time to sleep?" For once, the lemonade is right, which doesn't mean I will listen to it or spare it because justice and good reasoning dissolves in the heat of late summer nights. The world acts crazy and it's a disease there are no vaccines against. Luckily, I am a philosopher only when I drink lemonades which I wish were wine. On a regular day, I am Irina- chess player, author, daughter, sister, friend and traveler. 

Cheers to resurrections!

Bitter ladies

     Warning!!! Regardless of the title, this post is about lemonade :P

     After my last post I've managed to score only 0,5p/3. The logic of a normal superstitious woman chess player would tell that posting anything else would be insane,but I have always thought that what is not normal is good, so here it is- a new post from Plovdiv.
     Four rounds have passed in no time at all and though I have not so many points, I have a fantastic time here and lots of energy and inspiration that still wait to be directed to the right point.
     I will not speak much about the mistakes I've made during the games, let's say it was just bad luck. The only decision I regret so far is that a waiter convinced me to take lemonade instead of the desired ice coffee- that's where my bad decisions for today have started (maybe it was the same waiter's fault that I sacrificed a bunch of pieces today).
     So, from now on- no more lemonades- cause no one likes bitter ladies, just coffees and the points will start to come :D


xoxo from Plovdiv ;)

Lemons & chocolate cookies

     How do you make a very bad day to become better?
     I have tried all the ideas I had. None of them raised my mood- even the chocolate cookies didn't help...
     I guess that there are days that simply can't become better, only worse. It seems that in this kind of days everything and everyone conspire to make one feel awful. What to do? Life gives us lemons from time to time- the best one can do with them is to make a tea with lemon and continue eating chocolate cookies, hoping that tomorrow will be a better day.
     Well, I'm done with complaining, let's focus on some other things.
     My session at University has ended successfully- I've taken all the exams with high marks and I'm pretty satisfied with it. I can focus now on chess again. :)
     It is so freezing in Iasi these days- it's impossible even to take a proper walk- so maybe it's good to get lemons and to drink teas...

These being said, going to make another tea- have to do something with all these lemons, right? Maybe I can make a lemonade as well?!