Lienz Adventures
After the Moscow open, there was a gap of 12-13 days before the Aeroflot Open. So, we decided to include Lienz in our trip that started from 11th February and ended on 19th February. I’m sure that there will be at least something that will prove useful to you in the future if you are planning to go to Lienz in 2019.
First, let me share some chess adventures:
White to play: What will you choose? 1.Qb7, 1.e5 or 1.Q d3?
It is Black to play. My opponent played 25…g6. Does this lose a piece?
The tournament attracted 101 participants from 22 countries! GM Sanal Vahap famous for his Harry Potter look won the event with 7.5 points out of 9. He confessed to me that a lot of people have told him that he looks like Daniel Radcliffe!
GM Romanov Evgeny took the second place and IM Moskalenko Alexander topped the 6.5 club to claim the third spot. There were only eight main prizes in the event, yet it attracted a lot of players.
http://www.chess-results.com/tnr235376.aspx?lan=1&art=4&flag=30&wi=821
Prize Winners
The Organizer was very very very helpful with instant replies to our queries and he made our stay very special and comfortable. He picked us from the railway station and even booked our train tickets! On our way to the tournament hall, he asked me ‘’Why are so many Indians playing in our event?”
“The dates are perfect” I replied. Yes, the event was just before Graz open and it helped players to plan two events in Austria. Players like me had the opportunity to play and then go back to Russia to play the Aeroflot open. It felt good to play in Lienz and the weather wasn’t threatening at all!
We took a flight from Moscow to Austria and then a train to Lienz. We had to change trains, but it was a nice experience. You can book train tickets from: http://www.oebb.at/en/ (Vienna – Lienz Bahnoff) (Tip: A printout of your ticket is necessary, so take a printout.: Book your tickets online, it is cheaper than booking tickets at the station. You will get a cheaper ticket if you book in advance)
Food:
For pure vegetarians, McDonald has McD Chicken Veg*; they place soya instead of chicken in your burger. This saved me at many occasions. Two Indians got lucky as they got free coupons to McD, yes they are very kind J
I also tried ‘Orange Tea’ and loved it! On most of the days, our breakfast was museli. But, if it got monotonous then:
A few MTR food packets took care of our dinner. Of all the packets, Dal tadka was the best. When MTR packets got over, we had curd rice and powder rice. I carried Dhal Powder, Puliogare Powder and lemon rice powder. We mixed it with the rice and it made a good meal J
On the first few days of my trip, my dessert was Mandige! You can read more about that here:
https://allaboutbelgaum.com/specials/mande-mandige-sweet-tradition/
I didn’t know how to cook rice, but I learnt it during the trip and I became very good at it. My roommates relied on me to cook rice and then Srinath rao used to help us with the side dishes. He can easily be considered as the best cook of our team. Himal used to chop the vegetables and cut his finger on no less than four occasions – yet he never stopped! I contributed to this activity in Moscow and realized that I need a lot of practice.
Well, you better watch this before chopping vegetables:
We didn’t carry a cooker, so we used to cook rice using pan. I learnt it from this video:
Organizer of the event, Mr. Georg took us around and showed a few places, which included his chess club as well:
Organizer of the Lienz Open: Weiler Georg at Schachklub Volksbank Lienz!
Indians with Georg
I asked him “Why does the event take place every two years? Why not every year?”
“There is more enthusiasm when it is being held once in two years, plus sponsorship is a concern” he said.
The tournament has special events for parents and players during the event:
Sledging Tour at Alpe Stalle
Picture Credits: Georg
Picture Credits: Georg
Picture Credits: Georg
Excursion to the Villgratental!
This is a special region and perfect for those who love nature and ski tours! Few pictures of Villgratental:
You can also check other activities:
Skiing area: http://lienzer-bergbahnen.at/de/
Indoor swimming: https://www.dolomienbad.at
Lienz town: https://www.lienz.gv.at
A few Indians loved the roller coaster that is set amidst icy mountains!
We had to spend a night at Vienna and found the cheapest place, thanks to Srinath Rao!
This is a lovely hostel at a very affordable price:
http://www.athostel.com/
But, you can avail discounts if you book through www.booking.com
We had one extra day and used it to tour a few places in Vienna. We went to National Bibliothek and a few museums in Vienna. Tip: Buying roundtrip metro tickets could save you some money.
Tip: Don’t forget to carry your school or college ID, because the museums offer 50% discount if you have a valid school/college ID.
The trip ended with a sporty get-together that involved a bowling competition! The 20th edition of Lienz Open is going to be very special, don’t miss it in 2019.
