Helsinki half-marathon

Helsinki offers three half-marathons over the summer, but the most interesting is the one during City Running Day. The main attraction of this half-marathon is finishing inside the stadium that hosted the 1952 Summer Olympic Games. There are not many races in the world inside an Olympic stadium. Another attraction is that most of the route … Continue reading Helsinki half-marathon →

Grenke chess tournament 2024

Five years after playing in the Grenke chess tournament, it finally resumed after being canceled due to COVID-19. With around 2600 participants, it became the largest chess tournament globally, thanks to the rising popularity of chess. The festival featured four tournaments catering to players of different skill levels. The event's unique atmosphere was highlighted as players from various backgrounds gathered to compete. Notably, the tournament had outstanding playing conditions but suffered from noise issues. Although the author felt satisfied with their performance, they offered constructive criticism to the organizers. Ultimately, they expressed a desire to return due to the tournament's positive energy and atmosphere.

Chess story

A chess enthusiast plans to attend a tournament, but due to unexpected changes, turns to write about the game instead, focusing on the Polgar experiment. Laszlo Polgar, a Hungarian psychologist, believed in cultivating geniuses via early and specialized education. To prove his theory, his daughters became exceptional chess players, with the youngest, Judit, becoming the highest-rated female player globally for over 25 years. Despite criticisms and gender biases, Polgar's experiment illustrates the impact of focused childhood training, even suggesting implications for potential advances in science and medicine.