1. Introduction
One of the nice things about the reflections is the feedback I receive from readers from across the world.
Yesterday, I received an interesting poem from Tauriq Jenkins
Poem for our brave Chess Elders by Taurique Jenkins
Age matters in an immortal game
Yes, it does as the poetry deepens,
Hands move with deliberation
Like a dentist with utmost care
And accuracy extracting a cavity
Or an Advocate upon scrutiny of
Arguments before them
Exulting moves for change
To when chess brilliance and obsession
Matures into something profound,
a spiritual experience, an awakening
where past dream and hopes are
rekindled and respected
Albania’s ancient castles host our Giants
Who emerge in triumph from humble
Origins and journeys of Woodstock, Soweto,
Eastern Cape, Belhar, Gauteng, Bellville, Pretoria and North West.
Whose chess lives and stories traverse
The expanse of South Africa
And now
A fresh minted meaning of hope
Reveals and is revelled upon 64 squares
Squares re-encountered thousands of times
The time is different
As each time is different
Continue to set sail on new voyages
That bring us collective joy
And new analogs of pride
Reflections
Of the old that usher in the new
Layering greater dignity
Deepening stronger roots.
Tauriq Jenkins
23 April 2026
2. The Olympiad history continues
So now we have set the backdrop of the 1974 suspension of South Africa from International play including the Olympiad. It is apt to reaffirm the fundamental principles of Olympism at this juncture before we take the discussion further. The fundamental principles of Olympism, which is set out in the Olympic Charter, define a set of values. These are:
Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting, and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the duration all value of good example, social responsibility, and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.
The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.
The Olympic movement is the concerted, organized, universal and permanent action, carried out or under the supreme authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who are inspired by the values of Olympism. It covers the five continents. It reaches its peak with the bringing together of the world’s athletes at the great sport festival, the Olympic Games. Its symbol is five interlaced rings.
The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.
Recognizing that sport occurs within the framework of society, sport organizations within the Olympic Movement shall have the rights and obligations of autonomy, which includes freely establishing and controlling rules of sport, determining the structure and governance of their organizations, enjoying the right of elections free from any outside influence and the responsibility for ensuring that principles of good governance be applied.
The enjoyment of rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter and recognition by the IOC.
The principles of Olympism as enunciated above carefully analysed speaks to the preservation of dignity, that sport is a human right and that every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport without discrimination.
3. History of Albania
The Albanian Renaissance was a period with its roots in the late 18th century and continuing into the 19th century, during which the Albanian people gathered spiritual and intellectual strength for an independent cultural and political life within an independent nation. Modern Albanian culture flourished too, especially Albanian literature and arts, and was frequently linked to the influences of the Romanticism and Enlightenment principles. Prior to the rise of nationalism, Ottoman authorities suppressed any expression of national unity or conscience by the Albanian people.
The victory of Russia over the Ottoman Empire following the Russian-Ottoman Wars resulted the execution of the Treaty of San Stefano which assigned Albanian-populated lands to their Slavic and Greek neighbours. However, the United Kingdom and Austro-Hungarian Empire consequently blocked the arrangement and caused the Treaty of Berlin. From this point, Albanians started to organise themselves with the goal to protect and unite the Albanian-populated lands into a unitary nation, leading to the formation of the League of Prizren. The league had initially the assistance of the Ottoman authorities whose position was based on the religious solidarity of Muslim people and landlords connected with the Ottoman administration. They favoured and protected the Muslim solidarity and called for defence of Muslim lands simultaneously constituting the reason for titling the league Committee of the Real Muslims.
Approximately 300 Muslims participated in the assembly composed by delegates from Bosnia, the administrator of the Sanjak of Prizren as representatives of the central authorities and no delegates from Vilayet of Scutari. Signed by only 47 Muslim deputies, the league issued the Kararname that contained a proclamation that the people from northern Albania, Epirus and Bosnia and Herzegovina are willing to defend the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire by all possible means against the troops of Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro.
Ottomans authorities cancelled their assistance when the league, under Abdyl Frashëri, became focused on working towards Albanian autonomy and requested merging four vilayets, including Kosovo, Shkodër, Monastir and Ioannina, into a unified vilayet, the Albanian Vilayet. The league used military force to prevent the annexing areas of Plav and Gusinje assigned to Montenegro. After several successful battles with Montenegrin troops, such as the Battle of Novšiće, the league was forced to retreat from their contested regions. The league was later defeated by the Ottoman army sent by the sultan.
4. Interesting Fun facts
Albania lies along the Mediterranean Sea on the Balkan Peninsula in South and Southeast Europe, and has an area of 28,748 km2 (11,100 sq mi).[132] It is bordered by the Adriatic Sea to the west, Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, Greece to the south, and the Ionian Sea to the southwest. It is between latitudes 42° and 39° N and longitudes 21° and 19° E. Geographic coordinates include Vërmosh at 42° 35′ 34″ northern latitude as the northernmost point, Konispol at 39° 40′ 0″ northern latitude as the southernmost, Sazan at 19° 16′ 50″ eastern longitude as the westernmost, and Vërnik at 21° 1′ 26″ eastern longitude as the easternmost. Mount Korab, rising at 2,764 m (9,068.24 ft) above the Adriatic, is the highest point, while the Mediterranean Sea, at 0 m (0.00 ft), is the lowest. The country extends 148 km (92 mi) from east to west and around 340 km (211 mi) from north to south.
Albania has a diverse and varied landscape with mountains and hills that traverse its territory in various directions. The country is home to extensive mountain ranges, including the Albanian Alps in the north, the Korab Mountains in the east, the Pindus Mountains in the southeast, the Ceraunian Mountains in the southwest, and the Skanderbeg Mountains in the centre. In the northwest is the Lake of Shkodër, Southern Europe’s largest lake. Towards the southeast emerges the Lake of Ohrid, one of the world’s oldest continuously existing lakes. Farther south, the expanse includes the Large and Small Lake of Prespa, some of the Balkans’ highest lakes. Rivers rise mostly in the east and discharge into the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. The country’s longest river, measured from mouth to source, is the Drin, which starts at the confluence of its two headwaters, the Black and White Drin. Of particular concern is the Vjosë, one of Europe’s last intact large river systems.
In Albania forest cover is around 29.% of the total land area, equivalent to 788,900 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 788,800 hectares (ha) in 1990. Of the naturally regenerating forest 11% was reported to be primary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 0% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 97% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership, 3% private ownership and 0% with ownership listed as other or unknown.
Previous Games
Lindner,Daniel (2196) – Bouah,Lyndon (2071) [A37]
World Senior Teams (6), 25.04.2026
1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nb5 d6 8.Nfxd4 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 a6 10.0–0 Ne7 11.e4 0–0 12.Bg5 Qc7 13.Rc1 Re8 14.Qd2 Bd7 15.Rfd1 Rad8 16.b3 Bc8 17.h4 Rd7 18.h5 Qc5 19.h6 Bh8 20.Nf3 Nc6 21.Nh2 f6 22.Be3 Qb4 23.Qe2 Ne5 24.Bd4 Nf7 25.Ng4 Ne5 26.Ne3 Nf7 27.Qb2 Nxh6 28.Bxf6 Bxf6 29.Qxf6 Qc5 30.Rd2 Rf7 31.Qd4 Qxd4 32.Rxd4 Rd7 33.Rcd1 Red8 34.Bh3 Kf7 35.f4 Ke7 36.Nf1 Rc7 37.Nh2 Nf7 38.R4d2 b5 39.Bf1 b4 40.Kf2 Bb7 41.Ke3 Rc5 42.Nf3 Rh5 43.g4 Rh1 44.g5 h6 45.Bg2 Rxd1 46.Rxd1 hxg5 47.Nxg5 Nxg5 48.fxg5 Rh8 49.Rh1 Rxh1 50.Bxh1 e5 ½–½
5. Results of Round seven
In an incredible performance during Round 7, South Africa secured a dominant 4–0 victory over the host nation, Albania. On Board One, I managed to defeat Lorenz Rama (2196) in a well-played game that transposed into a King’s Indian Defence, marking my first win of the tournament and bringing me to three points. On Board Two, FM Shabir Bhawoodien took down his opponent by dominating the dark squares following a pawn sacrifice, while Board Three saw CM Anton Goosen trap his opponent’s knight right in the center of the board. This gave us a commanding 3–0 lead early on. Finally, on Board Four, Andre Schutte showed immense grit, defending his position for over five hours before converting a well-played endgame into a win to complete the clean sweep.