davidsmerdon
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Full name: David Smerdon
Born: 17 September 1984
Birth City: Brisbane
Residence: Amsterdam
Ranking: 709
userblog
September 09, 2012 16:29 pm
It’s tough to write an update right now – my captain even advised me to stay away from the blog for a while – but I should at least give a brief piece about the state of play after the final round. It’s been a very tough few days for me after the...
September 05, 2012 22:38 pm
Australia’s had a topsy turvy tournament to date, with a couple of matches going either for or against us with the dreaded 2.5-1.5 scoreline. We’ve also had some favourable pairings, and to be honest, with four rounds to go, our score is a little...
September 01, 2012 11:49 am
The internet has finally returned to the hotel and playing venue, much to the relief of a thousand frustrated chessites. So much to report, so little time…
The men’s team drew 2-2 with an understrength Norwegian outfit. There were two decisive...
August 28, 2012 13:19 pm
Istanbul: Hot, raining. Olympiad hotel: Crowded, buzzing, excited.
It’s day one of the World Chess Olympiad, and the Aussie team is just about to head to the playing hall for round one. I’m being rested today against Namibia, so hopefully I’ll...
July 27, 2012 14:13 pm
I’ve delayed wrapping up the report of the Curaçao chess festival because I’ve been without internet on a tiny little Caribbean island called Bonaire, swimming with turtles, windsurfing – you know, the usual post-chess comedown. More on that later...
July 14, 2012 8:19 am
Two thirds of the way through the tournament, Robbie and I are locked in a two horse race for the title, and the pairings really are starting to become bizarre. (By the way, the tournament website is http://www.curacaochess.net/ ) The two of us...
July 09, 2012 18:59 pm
With only 14 players in the main section of the 9-round Open, the pairings are going to get weird really soon. The top two seeds met already in round three, with my roommate Robbie and I slugging it out in a real coffeehouse classic.
On move five I...
July 04, 2012 14:25 pm
Greetings (or, apparently, “saludos fo’i” from Curaçao!!
If you’re, well, not Dutch, you’ve probably never heard of Curaçao (or else associate it with a sickly sweet, fluoro-blue-coloured liquor. If that is you: my sympathies). It’s a small island...
June 21, 2012 14:44 pm
The host team of the chess Olympiad is traditionally allowed to field a couple of extra teams (originally this was aimed to prevent a bye in case of an odd number of teams, but these days it’s a more general right). For instance, in 2010, hosts...
June 14, 2012 14:41 pm
Koninginnedag, or “Queen’s Day”, is the most festive day on the Dutch calendar. The 30th of April is the birthday of one of the Netherland’s former queens, Queen Juliana, and is marked by raucous celebrations, street merchantry, and lots and lots...
