Venice, 12th August 2024
Never has my participation been in doubt like this year.
The main issue, the one making me uncomfortable, is the location. It is logistically perfect, but JW3 is a centre of Jewish culture and is somehow connected to Israel.
It is true that in the past years there has never been the slightest interference, it was simply the MSO renting part of the facility for the competition period, but given the ongoing situation it surely would have been better if they had changed venue.
In the end, however, I decided to go, after a long talk with Etan Ilfeld, the organiser, who assured me of their neutrality and who personally joined the protests against Netanyahu.
Besides, let’s face it, at my age how many more chances will I have to attend? Few… and I can’t let those few slip through my fingers!
With me there will be the “usual suspect” Riccardo Gueci. We always have fun winning a few medals together and competing for the Pentamind Senior. Speaking of Seniors, the years go by and more and more players enter their sixties. Giving us a hard time this year there will also be Daniele Ferri, more dangerous than ever and who promised a good fight: it will be fun!
Among the other Italians there should also be Francesco Salerno and Maurizio De Leo, both specialists in abstract games.
Dario Zaccariotto had a good time last year and will also be back, but only for a few days.
In the meantime, here is our (mine and Zaccariotto’s) complete programme.
Dario De Toffoli
CHRONICLES FROM THE BOARDS
Mind Sports Olympiad XXVIII
LONDON – 18th-26th August 2024
Here we are ready for the 28th Mind Sports Olympiad, scheduled to take place in London from 18 to 26 August, I will be flying on the 16th.
After some uncertainty due mainly to the less than ideal location, I have decided to participate again this year and it will be the 25th time out of 28 editions!
At my age, how many more times will I have the chance to participate? A few… and those few I will not let slip away! As long as I can manage with dignity, I will participate!
With me will be the usual Riccardo Gueci, together we always have fun winning a few medals and competing for the Pentamind Senior… it’s our playground!
Speaking of Senior, the years pass and more and more players pass 60. This year we will also have Daniele Ferri against us, who has promised a good battle: it will be fun! I went to visit him in Ferrara and we had a full immersion day dusting off a lot of boards: he will be a dangerous opponent, I can tell you, but at the same time he will contribute to enriching the team’s booty.
Among the other Italians should be Francesco Salerno and Maurizio De Leo, both specialists in abstract games, and Dario Zaccariotto, who had a good time last year, will also be back, but only for a few days. Then we will see who else will be at the starting line-up.
Apart from the day in Ferrara, the only other training I did was a few solo games, playing ME against ME in Kings Cribbage (a cross between Cribbage and Scrabble): there will be the World Championship and I’m going for it, I’m aiming straight for victory (haha) even though I’m the only Italian playing it. A few Poker and Backgammon tournaments. I’ll try to defend the Acquire title, even if it will probably cost me participation in Hold’Em and Mensa Connection tournaments. Then Lost cities, Hare & Tortoise, Cribbage, Six (6 nimmt), Rummikub, Domino 5s&3s, maybe Azul, maybe Ticket to Ride, maybe VEGEtables. Too bad they removed Triolet, where last year with Zaccariotto we paired up.
And if the tiredness is too much… I’ll give something up.
In the pictures the complete programme and my own.
Well, this year too has begun and the Italian Dream Team does not disappoint.
Guys, by now I almost believe it too, Acquire is my game of choice: I won the gold for the third consecutive year, bringing my medals in the specialty (6/4/2) to 12… but they say it’s a game of luck, ahahahah.
Yesterday, however, a mediocre 3/6 in backgammon for me, while the medals came from our abstractionists.
Frasco (Francesco Salerno) did his duty and earned gold at Hive, where he is considered the strongest player in the world. In Twixt, on the other hand, silver for De Leo, who yielded only to the French champion Florian Jamain. Bronze (I won’t tell you why the nickname) again for Salerno. Not content with that, Frasco in the evening also got an unexpected and very prestigious bronze (this one a real bronze, I would say a bronzone) in Dominion. Both then finished 4/6 in the hard-fought Lines of Action tournament… and it could have gone better.
And then the evening poker games, marked, as usual, by managerial incapacity… but we know and we’ve got over it. Exploit of Daniele Ferri, who at his poker debut got a fantastic silver in the 5-card draw (I was eighth, I went all in with three 9s in my hand and I found Alan Dekkar with 3 Aces…); in Hold’em I was out early, twice KKs busted by A-3s (flush) and 10-10. Gueci resists and near the final table a sensational hand happens to him; he ends up all in pre-flop with QQ vs A-10s; flop 699, that’s good, turn 9, still good, as long as an Ace doesn’t come down; and the Ace doesn’t come down, but – you will have understood by now – the fourth 9 comes down: poker on the table and pot to the adversary with the ace high ouch ouch ouch, who knows if he will have digested it!
And tomorrow we start again: will I play Azul or backgammon again? At the moment I really don’t know, I’ll decide at the last moment… and that’s the beauty of MSO.
Dulcis in fundo, sensational news. By now it is official and it can be said, the MSO in 2025 will be held in Spain, in Palma de Mallorca from 13 to 20 April; stay tuned!
