Last Sunday, December 1, the program of the V edition of EL LLOBREGAT OPEN CHESS added, to the evening celebration of the third round of the tournament, a school championship convened in Can Massallera (Sant Boi) at 10 am.
And at the same time, simultaneas offered by the great Argentine master, Tomás Sosa, in Barcelona, in the noble Pompeu Fabra hall of the Ateneu Barcelonès; thus reediting the collaboration of EL LLOBREGAT with the cultural entity of reference in Catalonia. In the 2023 edition, the guest teacher was Sara Khadem. Tomás Sosa played against 20 amateurs invited by the Ateneu Barcelonès, belonging to nine Catalan clubs. Sosa won them all. Undoubtedly a success for the master, since all 20 opponents were federated players with an acceptable level of competition. The list of invited players was:
Reflection on the simultaneous games of GM Tomás Sosa at the Ateneu Barcelonès, according to Jorge I. Aguadero Casado, press officer of Peón de Rey
One of the most fascinating and most celebrated events in the world of chess is when a master gives a session of simultaneous games. For the Llobregat Open Chess Tournament it has become a tradition and, after the success of the simultaneous offered by Sara Khadem in 2023, this year we have had the honor of having Tomás Sosa. The presence of Grandmaster Sosa commands respect. The Argentinean chess player is a young man, tall, slim, possessing a mysterious attractiveness and a very skilled conversationalist, who walks his lanky figure in front of the twenty boards that have been set up for his simultaneous exhibition. The wiry face of the master reveals intense concentration, reflection on his own knowledge, which Sosa spreads cadencedly in his moves. What few people will know is that, for the exercise of his profession, Sosa will be all morning walking between the tables, walking several kilometers and bending his back to move the pieces infinite times, a considerable physical exercise. And, this, adjusting the mind so as not to lose precision. Teaching a simultaneous session is hard. Sosa’s twenty opponents, among them our editor Xavier Pérez Llorca, also have much more time for reflection than he does, as he has to respond to the moves on the board in just a few seconds. Another remarkable fact is the disparity in the strength as chess players of his rivals, which turns the activity into a show jumping competition. Sosa ended up winning all twenty games in dispute. He later told El Llobregat that he has been based in Barcelona for six years and that he plans to take some time off from his competitive activity, focusing more on his YouTube channel (@gmtomassosa) and chess didactics. “But I would also like to participate in some national team championship, representing Argentina,” he told us in a kind interview.
