A special and unusual guest arrived yesterday at Tel-Nof base of the IDF Air Force – the No. 1 female chessplayer in the world, Judit Polgar of Hungary. First, a guided tour was held with the participation of many Maccabiah athletes, including the three medal winners in the chess rapid super-tournament, grandmasters, coaches, heads of delegations, organizing committee members, and of course Judit (and her sister Sofia).
After lunch we had a festive ceremony with the participation of the Tel-Nof Base Commander and the Air Force Commander. Dr. Gilad Weingarten. Chairman of the Sport Department of the 18th Maccabiah games, greeted the participants. Each of the chessplayers received special gifts, and then the winners of the recently held Air Force chess championship were called to the stage to receive their trophies. The Air Force chess champion for 2009 is IM Israel Caspi.
The simultaneous display started immediately following the ceremony. Judit played against 22 opponents. The greatest ever female in chess launched a blitzkrieg and allowed her opponents no chance on the way to a rout. Her attacking style enabled her to complete the display successfully within two hours, although her opponents included relatively high-ranked players, up to candidate master. 21 contestants lost, and only Aharon Brill, a civilian employed by the IDF, managed to withstand Judit's onslaught and escape with a draw.
The event was organized in perfect order under the guidance of Igor Ginzburg, member of the organizing committee of the chess festival. We deeply thank the IDF Air Force for the perfect hospitality. Without doubt, this tour was a moving experience for the Maccabiah chess athletes on the rest day of their competition.