US Chess Federation: Chess Buzz October 12

Reports from the 33rd Olympiad, Elista, Kalmyk Republic

Report #1

My trip went well. Aeroflot, at the bargain rate of $520, ran a new B777. I had five seats to myself, two movies, two meals, two minibottles of wine, three newspapers and we left on time and arrived early. The Olympiad greeters were not difficult to find, I was escorted to a bus and we left awhile later for Vnokova, the departure airport for Elista. There were two airplanes but they were not "going back and forth" as frequently as claimed so the next flight was not until 4 p.m. The runway in Elista was not lit so planes had to land before dark. We all checked in and spent the time in a comfortable waiting lounge.

About 5 hours later we boarded a 120-seat jet for a comfortable flight to Elista. So far so good-it's better than the trip to Yerevan. Soon the terrain south of Moscow became rolling irregular patterns of farmland and woodland with occasional towns. This turned to scattered large plowed fields, a rare small cluster of buildings, and miles of undeveloped bush and dry grasslands. As far as one could see was low undulating brownness. We eventually passed one medium-sized town and then returned to empty vastness.

The Kalmykia has a total population of 317,000, three "cities" and a density of 4 people per square kilometer. There is very little, and very isolated, development. The inhospitable steppe has been traveled by nomads for centuries; Elista was formed as a settlement about 120 years ago and progressed slowly. It became the capital of the Kalmyk Autonomous Republic in 1935 and the first "highway" was built 5 years later. Although Elista means "sand" it doesn't look like the dunes of the Persian Gulf. Here it is fine brown dirt and rolling dry grassland.

My schedule turned out great by comparison to others who missed the last charter flight at 5 o'clock. They were flown to Stavropol and then spent the rest of the night on a bus over poorly maintained roads. The reportedly 4-hour bus trip took almost twice that. Yasser's bus broke down in the middle of nowhere so he didn't get to Elista until 8 a.m. Friday the last charter out of Moscow was delayed waiting for baggage. It arrived at 7:30, just after dark but managed to land anyway, while the passengers held their collective breath. Great pilots!

The Elista runway has been newly repaved but, contrary to reports, the promised extension wasn't finished. It is quite short for a jet. The French tried unsuccessfully to charter a flight out of Paris. Our pilot made a beautiful landing "on the numbers" as they say, obviously because he needed all the runway he had available. There was a multi-lingual receiving group of young adults who were very friendly and helpful. The arbiters in the group were taken to their living quarters, about 7 km. From Chess City. The players were driven to their residences. We checked in, dropped our bags and went directly to the opening ceremony which had already started at the nearby football stadium. As I was looking for an empty seat I heard a shout from Nick de Firmian. It was good to see the teams there and catch up on local events. They were in great spirits.

Meanwhile, at "City Chess", to the organizers utter dismay, the playing site was still unusable. The first round was postponed from Sunday to Tuesday, one free day eliminated (actually moved forward) and the event shortened to 13 rounds. Construction workers were laboring exhaustively around the clock and making extraordinary progress but not only was the roof not complete but neither were the walls. Some cottages were in varying stages of construction and macadam was still being spread for some of the side streets but these things did not interfere with the teams since they all had comfortable living quarters.

Even if the main building, the Chess Palace, became structurally functional by Monday night (within 24 hours) the electrical hookups, furniture installation, plumbing and a lot of fine-tuning would still be needed. Everyone was trying to help. Elderly women carried furniture into completed cottages. Petunia beds were planted around the entrance to the playing hall-unfortunately they don't look like they'll survive. The organizers get little sleep. All-night, late-night and early- morning meetings are held to try to keep up with last-minute planning. It is as if by sheer willpower they try to have the site ready to go by Tuesday. They try not of think of the alternatives.

The participants with whom I've spoken are not so concerned. Since comments like, "even an 11-round Olympiad is enough", and tongue-in- cheek, "why don't we take a week's vacation and then play 2 days of blitz?" are heard. I have yet to hear anyone complain. Only the organizers are miserable.

On the bright side: the residences are beautiful. The architecture of all the new buildings is picturesque and original. The centerpiece, the 4-story (will be 5) playing hall, is going to be exceptional with huge glass exterior walls in front, a central glass dome and unique design. The TASC force is efficiently handling accreditation, IDs and food coupon distribution. Cartons of furniture from Italy and Holland are stacked up outside, waiting to be put together. The players all seem comfortable. The top 10 teams are housed together nearby in a new apartment building. Everything that isn't new is newly painted and decorated. The USA men's team have adjoining apartments with kitchen, personal cook and maid service. The women, and Fed as captain, are in one of the new cottages. The minibus from City Chess to the center of Elista costs 1.5 roubles (about 11 cents). Weather is lovely-sunny and warm during the day, cool at night and early morning and the air is fresh and sweet. Since this is a fairly flat, arid region afternoon winds kick up some dust. The city seems safe, the people gentle and pleasant. With only 100,000 inhabitants it has spacious, clean streets and little traffic. Although the national press is very negative, all local reports portray the Kalmykians as eager to make this event a success and proud to be hosts of such an international endeavor. They certainly are working very hard to make this dream come true.

The postponement was an asset to some. Hurricane Georges interfered with some teams from the lower Americas but they arrived to find they weren't late after all. Processing players, press and other participants, usually so hectic, proceeded at a humane pace and those 2 extra days allowed the pairing committee to get everything sorted out smoothly.

Most of the arbiters are housed in an ex-sanatorium, about 25-minutes walk, or 1-rouble bus ride, from the town center. The place is freshly decorated, quiet and well-staffed (in white coats). Again, I've been lucky-the rooms are small, bathroom facilities normally shared amongst 6 , but my roommate decided to stay with the team from San Marino. During the day a couple of college students act as interpreters and guides. Off-hours the staff does their best to cope with English and French. Uniformed officers are always on guard but are friendly and unobtrusive. Telephones function and hot water flows, although it took a couple of days. It's not Paris but, then, no one expected it to be. True, a few arbiters didn't even unpack-they took the first flight home.

More interesting is what will happen on Tuesday when the games are rescheduled to begin.

Monday, Sept. 28, 1830 local time, Elista Report #2

Chess City is beginning to look like an Olympiad-Jan Timman, Kevin Spraggett, Ivan Sokolov, Nigel Short, along with many others, are only a few of the famous players strolling around. Schoolchildren beg for autographs. GMs David Norwood and Mikey Adams came into the press room looking for a pizza place that delivers. Loek van Wely was very disappointed to hear that the Bermuda team wasn't coming and there would be no replay of the famous Bermuda Party this year. Otherwise, spirits are high.

It's hard to believe but chess tables have been placed in the Chess Palace. Furniture is carried in at the same time as plastering and painting jobs are being done. Fixtures still hang from the ceilings, some carpet has been laid, dozens and dozens of people mortar, plaster, paint, hammer, cut steel girders and wash floors. Outside some women are planting more trees. Officials parade in and out, gingerly stepping over pipes and extension cords, some looking worried, others looking vaguely optomistic. But word is out that the games will definitely be played in the Palace tomorrow.

The Kalmyian National Orchestra performs in town tonight. At "City Chess" the work goes on.

Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2100 local time, Elista report #3

Round 1 is almost over. Although much work is still to be done the Olympiad has begun. Several changes are required for future rounds. It is very crowded and noisy in general and especially where the top boards are located-on a wide catwalk between the glass front of the building and the circular open stairway that extends from the ground floor up to the top. The openness of the architecture encourages conversations and the cumulative din level is unsurpassed in a chess tournament. Spectators can't see games unless they stand the the players' tables and there's really no room for that.

Nevertheless, everyone is amazed that the place works at all. The players are happy to be doing what they came for and no one is complaining. The playing tables and equipment are beautiful. No one cares that construction material is lying around. Tonight's bulletin games will be hand-loaded into computers because the electronic boards can't be hooked up yet. It's going to be a long night for many.

The most amazing story here concerns the Kalmykians themselves. The President sent out a plea to all residents to come to help. Now I know why there were so many housewives and elderly people landscaping, spreading top coats on plaster walls, carrying supplies and washing floors on their knees. They, as well as many others, work for pride and honor, not for roubles. Just about everyone is a volunteer but they are proud of what they are accomplishing and, literally, have the world standing there watching them. This is a vast and largely barren land with little agriculture or industry. The Olympiad is an exciting and challenging event in their lives. They are trying to please everyone.

The petunias out front are beginning to look better. They might survive ..

Elista Report #4

Round 2: Some more ceiling lights have come on line, more walls finished, offices upstairs occupied, more flowers planted outside. Much to the shock of many, 3 chess sets were stolen off the tables-difficult to believe with the many security guards around.

The top men's teams have been moved off the catwalk to a proper "tournament room" where it is quiet but still extremely crowded and stuffy. Again, there is no way to see the games without standing at the players' elbows. Spectators mill around. The US team was fortunate to have a position against the back wall but for round 3, on First Board, they will be in the center of the room totally unprotected and directly in line of the main traffic flow.

Noise level remains unacceptable, especially shortly after the first time control when many games are finished and the players stand around talking. And the politicians haven't even arrived yet.

Friday, October 2, Elista Report #5

Last night the Kalmyk press community invited the foreign journalists to a dinner at the Ofset Club beginning at midnight. It was excellent. A folk song group performed in traditional costume accompanied by ethnic instruments. A four-course dinner complete with caviar and everything from Coke to champagne kept the guests there until well after 4 a.m. The President arrived about 2:30, having been at a national beauty contest. He was his usual smiling and congenial self, visited everyone and danced when asked, even at that late hour. He announced that he plans to organize the 1999 World Championship Knock-Out Tournament at Chess City. After what's he done already that sounds like an easy project.

The playing conditions have improved. The open circular central stairway is closed to traffic after the games begin so everyone has to use the alternate stairways. The constant tramping of people up and down has stopped. The room for the 13 top boards now has guards at the doorway to prevent spectators from entering. All the lighting works now . Refreshments are available all afternoon.

The Cafe Bar on the ground floor opened this evening and, although sparsely stocked, has disco music and blue strobe lights. It's a great gathering place for the players to get together at night. A carpet of grass has sprouted where two days ago was only dirt. Marigolds are doing well but the petunias are looking poorly. Beautiful street lamps are in place and new statuary, in the form of tall avant garde chess pieces, is being erected at the entrace to the village. Progress continues everywhere. The place is really lovely-well designed and constructed.

We only wish the telecommunications would function reliably but all calls are routed through Moscow and Internet access has taken a week to set up, then got infected almost immediately. The per-minute price for access at the central post office doubled overnight, a victim of supply and demand.

The wind began to blow in earnest yesterday evening. It picked up the fine brown dirt and sent it everywhere. It howled fiercely around the Chess Palace and the outer layer of one of the double glass panes shattered. Tonight rain began but didn't last very long.

Saturday, October 3rd, Elista Report #6

A cold front came through from the north and this morning, although sunny again, was cold. It snowed in Moscow and everyone hopes it won't come here before we all leave. I spoke with a young college student this evening, one who had spent a year in Kansas at age 16 as a high school exchange student. He said this past summer was the hottest and driest Kalmykia had ever seen. According to him temperatures rose to 56 degrees C. By my calculations that converts to about 132 degrees F. And I thought Phoenix was hot!

I suspect the heating system in the Chess Palace isn't functioning yet. It was quite chilly in all the open areas although the top men stayed cozy and warm in their private room. Angelina said there were times she couldn't decide whether to move a piece or try to move her cold feet. The conditions did shorten the games considerably-even though players wore coats and sweaters most everyone finished early.

There have been several casualties to date. One appendicitis, one Nigerian eye infection, one Hungarian fever requiring a week in the hospital, one sprained ankle, some undiagnosed aches and pains but no general bad bugs yet unless this cold snap brings on the flu.

Each team was assigned a local patron to look after them. The New Zealanders drew the Kalmyk Minister of Taxation. To hear them tell it that was the luckiest of all possible lucky breaks. They were given a cottage in Chess City when no more were available. The Minister took them about 70 km. Out of town for a visit to a hunting lodge in the country, complete with fished-filled river, ducks, tennis court and luxurious "cabin" with all possible amenities. Unfortunately, during a soccer game with the team members, the Minister suffered a compound fractured ankle and had to be rushed off to surgery. Now the team visits him in the hospital and won't get to that lovely lodge again.

Everyone seems to be settled in and gotten acquainted and comfortable with their surroundings and the gentle people of Elista. If it snowed tomorrow (it's really not that cold) I doubt there would be a complaint. Any question of discomfort or inconvenience is answered with "but the people are trying so hard, it will all work out alright-we have so much more than we expected".

Four monitors have been placed in the Cafe Bar so games can be watched throughout the afternoon and evening. All electronic boards are functioning perfectly. After 11 p.m. the hammering begins again but the disco music drowns it out-and the Cafe Bar is overflowing with happy chess players, at least those who won. More flowers, shrubs and pine trees have been planted around the grounds. The sun shone brightly again today and everyone is better prepared for the evening chill. Yermo goes around with a constant smile.

Sunday, October 4th, Elista Report #7

Committee sessions started on Saturday so the mornings have become quite busy also. Politicians are trickling into town. The Chess Palace shows some improvement daily but there is still so much remaining to be built that it won't really be finished for months. Those visitors who have been to Elista before admire the modernization and quality improvements to the city. Olympiad life seems to be flowing along well. Pairings are posted in the various central locations early each morning and the bulletins are ready early each afternoon. Karpov spends time watching the games and chatting with players although he isn't playing himself. Galliamova also doesn't play for her team although she has been present since the beginning. The outcome of the Women's World Championship is still unclear. Xie Jun plays for her team . None of the Polgars are here.

The Titles and Ratings Committee accepted William Paschal's IM application conditionally on his rating getting over 2400. Eugene Perelshtyen's was denied because the US Junior Championship is not considered a norm tournament. The Board hasn't had time to consider details for the '98 World Championship in Las Vegas because of the concentration required for the Olympiad. It looks like the Central Committee and General Assembly meetings will be much quieter than in Moscow and Yerevan.

The day after tomorrow, after round 7, is the only free day. It will be interesting to see what more has been accomplished at the playing hall when the games begin again. -

Wednesday evening, October 7th; Elista Report #8

Yesterday was the free day , sunny as usual but windy. Kalmykia had changed the date of its National Day of Sports to coincide with the Olympiad's revised off-day. A "khoten" village (nomad tent village) had been set up at the Elista racecourse. There were ethnic dances and musicians performing non-stop, a wrestling contest, javelin contest, marathon horse race, a couple of horses and a good-natured dromedary available for rides and picture-taking. Souvenirs and food were sold from the round, spacious tents-the kind you've seen in the movies. President of the Kalmyk Republic and FIDE, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, arrived in a white Rolls Royce followed by a white Hummer, dressed in white traditional robe and peaked hat with white fox trim, then mounted a horse and rode to the center of the staging area. The festivities continued for about 5 hours but it got so windy that the blowing dust and dirt became unpleasant. It remains quite chilly at night but, without the effect of nearby industry the air is clear and fresh. The full moon of the past two nights has been huge and brilliant and the many stars are so bright due to the lack of pollution.

The evening before the National Sports Day the staff of the arbiters' residence threw a party for everyone. They were dressed in their evening best, rather than work uniforms, and served excellent Moldovian wine along with dinner. Then they brought out a "boom box' with tapes of traditional dance music. Two of the ladies were especially good folk dancers. They not only treated us to a private show but got everyone else involved too. The Turkish arbiters sang their own songs, the Moroccans and Tunisians danced the best and the party went on until 3 a. m. Over at Chess City I hear the disco was packed until almost dawn.

Most of the delegates have arrived and some stories of the accommodations at the Hotel Elista are not the best. Construction of Chess City took so much attention that the hotel renovations could not be completed. Some of the visitors are less than happy with the condition of their rooms. Italian delegate Palladino was locked into his room when he couldn't get the key to work from the inside. He finally attracted attention by banging on the door but there were no duplicate keys. The situation was resolved when he was instructed to throw his key out the window onto the street where it could be retrieved and the door unlocked from the hallway.

I was invited to dinner at the Bar Restaurant of the Hotel Elista a couple of evenings ago. The food was terrible and made me glad that I was staying at the Pensionnat Sulda (the sanatorium) where conditions are good, the food varied, well prepared and abundant. The cooks go out of their way to never give us the same menu twice.

Thursday evening the welcoming dinner for the officials takes place. Kirsan's, and the Kalmykian's, reputations at hospitality should prove this to be a highlight. Then the next day the US delegation will treat the US teams to the traditional dinner. Steve Doyle has chosen what is recommended to be the best restaurant in town, and it has already passed Steve's culinary test.

The various individual committees have finished their work and the Central Committee completed its meetings today. Friday the General Assembly meetings begin. The political situation is much more peaceful, especially when compared to Moscow and Yerevan. Anatoly Karpov is lobbying to have the same conditions at the Las Vegas Championship as he had in Groningen/Lausanne. When that event began it was thought to be a two-year cycle since no one imagined another World Knock-Out could be organized in only one year, although that was the original goal. Now, in Las Vegas, Karpov is supposed to be seeded into the second round along with the other select GMs. His objections relate to the fact that he thought his current title would be protected for two years. The problem has yet to be resolved.

The Women's World Championship has caused a different problem. The Chinese Chess Federation organized an elegant semi-final match between Xie Jun and A. Galliamova but, although it reached the point of her clock being started, Galliamova never showed up. There was some petitioning to have the match rescheduled but this has been denied. The Chinese now have offered to organize the finals match between Xie Jun and reigning World Champion Zsusza Polgar. There is some possibility that Susan may not play to defend her title.

Larry Christiansen was interviewed for today's bulletin. He attributed the USA men's team's success partly to the fact that they all work together so well--real teamwork. They are running the gauntlet of having to play a series of excellent ex-Soviet teams but are still in good spirits and doing well.

Meanwhile, at the Chess Palace, a spacious press room has been opened on the ground floor, one level below the entrance floor. It includes a cafe and sitting area and plenty of room and equipment for journalists. Small displays of souvenirs, chess books, postcards and stamps are for sale on the entrance level as well as a large display of children's paintings.

Saturday-Sunday, October 10th-11th; Elista Olympiad Report #9

Warm weather finally returned with daytime temperatures of 68 degrees. The Chess Palace, dubbed by some the "Ice Palace" has become comfortable again.

Some of the trees are taking on a yellow tinge but mostly the city is still green.

The General Assembly meetings were completed on Sunday. Friday the session was scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. but it went on until early evening. Then followed a very nice reception with classical chamber music and several different dance groups and traditional musicians.

After much discussion the new FIDE Statutes were ratified, a project drafted over the past couple of years by a group including Steve Doyle. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was re-elected President for the next 4-year term, as well as the other incumbents, Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos (Greece), Vice President Ummer Koya (India), General Secretary N. Tabbane (Tunisia) and Treasurer David Jarrett (England). None were contested so this was no surprise.

The real bombshell was the postponement of the 1998 World Championship Knock-Out Tournament, rescheduled for Las Vegas from December to January. This may have to be re-rescheduled due to conflict with Wijk an Zee.

It is well known that Anatoly Karpov has been waging a battle against being forced to play from the second round. He has even threatened lawsuits. The problem was aired in the Central Committee meetings after which Makropoulos was given the task of negotiating an agreement. Since Tolya's main assertion was that he expected to retain his championship title for two years, not just one, the event was pushed into '99 even though the January date extended his guaranteed grasp by only one month, and he would begin in the second round with the rest of the seeded players. Now a new problem arises--many of the top players have already signed contracts to participate at Wijk an Zee. The Dutch organizers even presented a document, signed in 1994, in which FIDE promises not to hold any world championships during January through 1999. When Dan Mitchell, of the R & M Companies, the PR people for the Las Vegas championship, got off the plane on Saturday evening to address the GA on Sunday morning, he was presented with the postponement news.

Positions for Continental Presidents were hotly contested in the European and Americas divisions. Under the new bylaws these posts carry a lot more responsibility and prestige. Dr. Pedro Barreros of El Salvador and Boris Kutin of Slovenia won. New US Delegate Bill Kelleher was chosen to become a member of the Executive Committee as well as Chairman of the Ethics Committee. Steve Doyle was appointed to one of the two Vice President positions.

The Pan American Closed will be held in San Felipe, Venezuela, from Oct. 25 to Nov. 4, 1998. The winner gets a place in the upcoming World Championship and the USA has three places in the 10-player round robin. This is extremely short notice but, since the Knock-Out was scheduled for the end of Nov. the Venezuelan Federation wanted to squeeze in this important event for the benefit of all the federations in the region. So the USCF must quickly find 3 GMs or IMs who want a chance to get into the World Championship. Canada has one place, which Alexandre Lesiege will take, and Zones 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5 each have two. Esther Epstein, playing on the women's Olympiad team, suggested that Alexander Ivanov would be interested. [Ed. note: Epstein is married to Ivanov]

Additional items of interest resulting from the Technical Committee meetings that took place over the previous four days are as follows:

Performance norms, until now only available toward GM titles, will be available for others norms as well.
Ratings will be changed from 5-point variations to 1-point, as in the USCF list.
Beginning in February, 1999, FIDE will start a Rapid Chess rating list for games between 15 and 59 minutes. Three digits will be used. K- factor is still to be finalized.
Players on the monthly "top" lists will be considered inactive after 12 months and dropped from those specialized lists.
The alphabetical section of the regular rating list will include all living players who have a rating, flagging those who are inactive. The separate inactive list will be discontinued.
Players belonging to Federations which have not paid dues will also be "flagged" on the alphabetical list and will not receive FIDE rating services.
A new title, FIDE Category Player, is planned for introduction. A certificate and, perhaps a pin or something, will be offered to any and all who have earned a FIDE rating. The cost is suggested to be 100 Sfr. which, I assume, would be born by the player and not the player's federation.

During the Organizers' Committee the USCF Website was praised for its more complete and better-organized presentation of future events. [Ed. note: See The Plan Ahead Listing, the Monthly Calendar and the regular Directory of Upcoming events.] An effort to collect international tournament information from the various zones for listing in a similar way on Chess Planet was requested. This also arose in the Americas continental meeting where the need for tournament postings on a central Website was proposed.

The Women's World Championship Candidates cycle was completed with the failure of Alisa Galliamova to appear for her semi-final match against Xie Jun (allowing her flag to fall without notice of her plan to forfeit ), thereby making Xie Jun the challenger to current Champion Zsuzsa Polgar. The Russian Chess Federation's attempts to have the match rescheduled were not accepted. The Chinese Federation has offered to organize the finals match between Xie Jun and Polgar but, unfortunately, it is widely rumored that Susan will not defend her title. The Chinese were asked by the Russians to allow Galliamova to play the finals, should Polgar not play, so the Championship would not be decided by two forfeited matchs. The next Women's Championship is to be a Knock-Out, proposed to be held in Moldova in Sept., 1999, with 60 players and $500, 000 prize fund.

Saturday evening the US delegation invited the US teams to the traditional dinner. Originally the men's team members preferred to stay home with their private chef rather than eat in a restaurant. It may have been the combination of pressure from the women and the fact that they beat England 3-1 that made them change their minds. The Chess Palace was the scene of a 9-round Swiss Blitz tournament for the Delegates, beginning at 10 p.m. with a $15,000 prize fund. GMs Panno and Sunye-Neto shared first place.

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Each delegation has its own assigned car and driver. An example of the local population's commitment to this Olympiad: the Mexican Delegation's volunteer driver is a nuclear physicist. He was amongst those Kalmykians who were forceably transported by Stalin to Siberia--and one of the few to return.

There are few souveniers to buy in Elista. The market is not there, nor is the time to produce them. Today I went with our interpreter--a young woman who studies English and German at the Elista University--to buy some of the very good Moldovan wine but found 90% of the stalls in the nearby market locked up because the shopkeepers had nothing to sell. The large central market, behind the Hotel Elista was well stocked though and 4 bottles of wine cost about $8. Russian vodka goes for $1. 35 and Kalmykian about $1. Large bottles of local beer sell for about 50 cents.

The shopping area is like an American flea market, with many open stalls in rows or goods spread out on tables. One large concrete building houses fresh meat, fish and produce. Huge steaks of beautiful-looking beef are abundant and extremely cheap by American standards. Pork, lamb and some chicken is also available, as well as some fish. Fresh produce includes tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots and parsley since this is harvest season.

My guide, Gilyana, told me she is married and has an 8-month-old son who stays with her mother in a settlement about 240 km. away while she studies.

The villagers there have little use for money and most have none. Each family generally owns a cow and perhaps one or more pigs or some chickens. Many have sheep and wool is one of the republic's main products. They barter milk, eggs or meat. Every 4 months the older people can collect a small pension but must also pay taxes. Some have not enough to eat. She has only one uncle and one aunt who returned from the several sent to Siberia. The main exports from Kalmykia are beef, lamb, milk and wool. Coats are sent for sale in Moscow. University graduates may find jobs in business or government positions. There is a medical school but entrance is very difficult. Elista has several specialized hospitals with varying reports from those of the Olympiad visitors who had to go there. The one for infectious diseases was described as bleak but the orthopedic clinic was found to be modern and efficient.

I remarked to Gilyana about the cleanliness of the city and asked if that were just for the Olympiad. She said that when Kirsan became president he made a project of having every building painted and of keeping Elista in as good condition as possible. Most buildings are white but with colorful green or blue trim around windows, doors and balconies. The houses at Chess City are various colors and the new multi-story apartment buildings where some of the teams live are either pink or light green. The fact that Kalmyks love color is also demonstrated by their bright and ornate national costumes. Although the people of Elista qualify as poor they are surprisingly fashionably dressed and very proud. The volunteers who help us try to refuse tips and gifts. Once, when I had only 20 roubles for a 16-rouble taxi ride (about $1) the driver ran around trying to get change from other drivers , ignoring my "keep it" until I just walked away. By the time the delegates had arrived, however, most of the businesses, taxis and merchants had changed their approach and decided to take advantage of a golden opportunity to raise prices.