The ageless wonder at Banja Luka
It's not as strong an event as the Banja Luka tournament famously won by Kasparov in 1979, but while the ongoing tournament there this year isn't exactly Linares, it's not the proverbial chopped liver either. Best of all, with 6 of 9 rounds in the books, it's co-led by none other than Viktor Korchnoi, 76 years old and still going strong. (2610 and going up!) Amazing!
The interesting question is whether it shows what we're all capable of if we continue to work hard at the game and on our physical condition, or if he's just some sort of genetic marvel. I don't mean that we can all be as strong as him, but I wonder if we're capable of continuing to play near our best many years beyond our physical prime. In checkers, Marion Tinsley continued to play at a supreme level right up to his death at the age of 68, and in the realm of physical fitness Jack LaLanne continued performing impressive physical stunts until he was at least 70, while remaining in excellent shape even now, at the age of 92. Many noteworthy philosophers and other academics continued doing outstanding and creative work well into their old age as well, so I'd like to encourage my fellow middle-agers and those beyond to keep working at the game.
I've seen older players - even GMs - who have used the same (often dull) openings for 30 years. Don't be one of them! That's part of Korchnoi's "secret": he's not busy counting up his past achievements, incredible though they are, and living off his laurels. He's willing to learn new things, to shift his opening repertoire around, to discover new ideas, to mix things up and take real risks with players a sixth (!) his age rather than automatically ceding their tactical superiority.
So take some risks and try something new. Variety is the spice of life, learning new openings and working on the game is great for your general cognitive fitness. And if you lose a few more games while making the transition, that's okay too. It's only chess, after all!
The interesting question is whether it shows what we're all capable of if we continue to work hard at the game and on our physical condition, or if he's just some sort of genetic marvel. I don't mean that we can all be as strong as him, but I wonder if we're capable of continuing to play near our best many years beyond our physical prime. In checkers, Marion Tinsley continued to play at a supreme level right up to his death at the age of 68, and in the realm of physical fitness Jack LaLanne continued performing impressive physical stunts until he was at least 70, while remaining in excellent shape even now, at the age of 92. Many noteworthy philosophers and other academics continued doing outstanding and creative work well into their old age as well, so I'd like to encourage my fellow middle-agers and those beyond to keep working at the game.
I've seen older players - even GMs - who have used the same (often dull) openings for 30 years. Don't be one of them! That's part of Korchnoi's "secret": he's not busy counting up his past achievements, incredible though they are, and living off his laurels. He's willing to learn new things, to shift his opening repertoire around, to discover new ideas, to mix things up and take real risks with players a sixth (!) his age rather than automatically ceding their tactical superiority.
So take some risks and try something new. Variety is the spice of life, learning new openings and working on the game is great for your general cognitive fitness. And if you lose a few more games while making the transition, that's okay too. It's only chess, after all!