Moscow Diaries: Preparation is the key!

I was away for too long to create memorable moments! I’ll be sharing some of them with you through a series of articles. I believe that some of my experiences could help you in your chess endeavors.

Flying on a republic day is special and here is a glimpse:

Location: Terminal 3, New Delhi International Airport

Location: Terminal 3, New Delhi International Airport

Let me take you through the process of how I was able to make it to Russia. Somewhere in the third week of November, I got to know about three tournaments:
1. Moscow Open from 28^th January to 4^th February 2017
2. Lienz Open from 11^th February to 18^th February 2017
3. Aeroflot Open from 21^st February to March 3^rd 2017

After writing to the organizer of Aeroflot open, I got to know that they offer special packages that includes entry fees, stay with breakfast, double entry visa and airport transfer. If you are planning to play in the Aeroflot as well as other events, consider the packages offered according to the zones as an example:

http://www.acfed.ru/tournament/aeroflot-open-2016/en/rules/

India comes under Zone 6 (Delhi)
The package cost has to be transferred to the organizer and your bookings will be made only after that. According to their regulations ‘earlier the payment is made, the smaller its amount’
You will need Schengen visa + Double entry visa to play the following circuit. Lienz Open takes place every two years. (You will find more about Lienz in the upcoming article)
The organizers of Moscow / Aeroflot open send a reference code to you after you confirm the entry.
This is a symbolic invitation needed to apply for your visa. Schengen visa takes usually takes 10 to 15 days and Russian Visa could take 3-7 working days.

Weather:

If you can manage in Delhi, you can manage everywhere! Yes, this is true. The weather of Moscow is exaggerated. Yes, it is cold yet manageable. I reached Moscow two days in advance to get adjusted to the climate.

I was thrilled to know that the temperature outside the flight was -23! Those few seconds after coming out of the flight will remain with me forever. After claiming the check-in bag, I wore the thermals, sweaters, gloves and the coat and got ready to face the weather with preparation.

You need to prepare well to beat the weather. Just a few days before my trip to Moscow, Sagar Shah of CBI sent a video to me:

Most of what he suggested was not available at my place, but I found substitutes. The video also helped me in understanding the basics of keeping warm.

What you must carry (apart from the routine):

Thermal Wear x 2 (2 shirts + 2 pants)
Full Sleeves Sweater
Cap that covers your ears
Winter socks (Avoid cotton or at least the ratio should be less)
Fighter shoes or Duckback Snow boots (You will need these. The roads are slippery due to the ice)
Leather Gloves
Jacket
Shawl or muffler to cover your neck
Sherlock coat (a coat that extends below hip)
Sling Bag (This will help you very much as it will save a lot of energy. This is far better than a bag behind your back)

Transit and Travel:

Metro of Moscow is a major lifeline for traveling in Moscow. If you are staying for more than a week, it makes sense to buy a token of 20 TICKETS instead of buying one every time. The ticket is charged in terms of entries and not in terms of the distance traveled You get a discount of at least 300 to 400 INR if you buy 20 tickets at once. The same ticket could be used to travel in the local bus in Moscow.

Source: http://www.moscow.info/images/metro/Moscow-Metro-Map.gif

After landing at Sheremetyevo airport, we took a metro from Sheremetyevo station to Belorussky Station. It costs 500 roubles. After walking for a minute, we reached the metro line of Belorussky. We purchased a ticket to Dobryninskaya and reached our apartment. The taxis are expensive, ranging from 1800 to 4000 roubles.

www.airbnb.com is a good place to book apartments for your stay. It makes sense to scroll through the reviews that are visible on the profile of the host before confirming the booking. After your stay, do ask your host to leave a review on your profile. It will help you in the future!

Basmati Rice is available in the supermarkets, you don’t have to carry it from India.

Knowing a few words will help you very much. Remember, preparation is the key!

If you are playing the Moscow open, please make sure to reach early. It took me 30 minutes to locate my playing hall and it cost me time on the clock as well. There are a lot of categories and each category has different rooms. Don’t take my words lightly 🙂

Let’s get to some real chess stuff:

I was white against FM Anikonov Dmitry 2400 from Russia and reached the following position.

White to play

Solution to the Position

He was playing in the subway on a Sunday afternoon

Shubham Shukla took this picture while I was freezing clouds on my camera

I like capturing clouds

Ice, Ice everywhere!

This is a picture from the apartment. Why did my roommate place the chair behind the door?

Think about it 🙂 I will be back soon! My next article will have a lot about cooking food and novelties. If you want to know something about my trip in specific, do let me know. I will try to answer that in my next post.