How did you enter the magnificent world of chess?
With a mere coincidence I learnt chess when I was (20) years old!! When one day I observed my neighbor who was a young and very beautiful girl (Samia ElKady) – God bless her soul – was playing chess in the entrance of our building; she taught me the moves and we played a game which lasted for (2) minutes as I lost by scholar's mate…. afterwards I decided to become a chess champion.
When was the real start? And Where?
In the early seventies in cafes and coffee shops where chess was simply practiced besides domino, cards and Backgammon one day I went to the old historical camp Caesar district and began learning how to play chess on (waly café) then in less than a year I came 5th in Alexandria champion chip, and in a few years I became Alexandria champion in 1978.
You were a member of
In the Olympic chess tournament in (
In your chess career, you traveled abroad a lot and visited many countries… tell me your unforgettable memories?
There are (4) incidents that I never Forget:
The first one in Zurich (Switzerland) when I had to climb up the electrical stair case which I was facing for the 1st time in my life; when I suddenly stumbled badly and fell down over my colleagues down the stairs. I was very embarrassed but thanked God that no one was hurt.
The second one was during my first international game against the well know English GM. Chandler when I had the black pieces in a hard fought Sicilian game – at that time I didn't know opening theory – but I played a fine game that I rejected a draw offer from my opponent! but while I was moving around the boards kibitzing other games, I was approached by one of my colleagues who warned me that my opponent is from the world's best players. I became nervous and distracted and in a few moves I blundered away my queen and lost.
The third one in Novi Sad Olympiad (Yugoslavia) in 1990 when we faced Brazil; my game was a duplicate from world chess champion Mikhail Tal's brilliant game in informant (40), so I left the playing hall where my opponent was pondering on his 15th move and asked a friend to buy informant (40) from a nearby chess library to revise the game, my position was better but I missed many winning chances, then a strange thing happened…. I had a pawn on the 7th rank that I decided to queen on the next move, I stood up and went to a nearby table to bring an extra queen…. My colleagues tried in vain to prevent me, one of them whispered "No, no it's mate don not do it" but I didn't hesitate for a second I utterly said to my self " I'm winning what is wrong?" and I actually queened on my next move then I was stunned to see a check on d3 with a rook that I completely missed – as I only examined all other checks …and it was true : a simple mate in 3 moves !! . I learned the lesson quite well and never did the same behavior again.
The last one was in Sicilia (1987) in the Mediterranean champion chip (teams) which
What did you learn from chess?
Chess makes you tolerant and to love people after your exhaust all your aggressive energy in playing good chess moves.
What do you do now? And how do you spend your time away from the chess board?
Now I am the technical director of smouha club chess Academy (SCCA) and also a chess trainer of many young talented players; I also play blitz games on the internet. I also discovered that I have a deep interest in literature, so I published 2 books (Dying of a Planet) and (Dark Lines) . Chess and literature are alike as imagination drives human soul through unlimited boundaries.
There was study published on chessbase web site – 3 years ago – about who is the best chess player in history based on a scientific approach….whom do you think is the best chess player in history? And why?
Bobby Fischer without a shade of doubt he was simply the main cause for the change of the conditions of the game to the better. I recall the 10th world chess champion Boris Spassky words about Fischer "He made us all rich".
His achievements form (1970 – 1972) and beating the chess soviet machine alone was very remarkable.
Who is your chess ideal?
Internationally Capablanca, and locally I name my friend Mr. Ashraf Thoson.
Which is your evergreen game?
There are (2) games: My game with the white pieces against GM. Gyula Sax in Golden Cleopatra in 1998 and the second one - with the white pieces also - against FM. Riebero Fernando in Yerevan Olympiad 1996.
How do you see the chess conditions in
In the past chess champions were made by mere coincidences and good chances…how many talented players passed away quietly in the developing countries and in
Football or (Soccer) in
The only mutation was in Alexandria was the approval of the well known Businessman Engineer\ Farag Amer –Chairman of Smouha Club - to establish the first chess academy in smouha club, as he has converted an old beautiful dream to reality, which happened after a strange coincidence. Now young generations will not suffer like we did; they simply will have better chances.
We discovered very young talents in smouha club chess academy (SCCA) and I believe in less than (8) years and with the support of the recent Egyptian chess federation under the auspice of chairman Mr. Hussein Nefady, we will have great chess champions not by coincidences and good chances any more; but by planning; good strategy and sincere work as chess players do in their games.
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