Bearing Up Under The Circumstances

LAST night I stayed at the Ibis at Luton airport as I had an early flight today to Bucharest.

The hotel lounge had a mildly chess theme, which I hope turns out to be a good omen for my trip.

Ibis lounge

Unfortunately my flight with Wizz Air was delayed by well over an hour, which meant I missed my connecting shuttle to Poiana Brașov, an alpine resort in the Transylvanian mountains.

I caught another bus two hours later but arrived in darkness, which meant I could not really explore much, especially as the hotel has a bear-warning sign prominently displayed at the main entrance.

If you cannot read the sign, it warns there are nearby bears so guests should only leave the hotel after dark in groups

I am playing in the main tournament of the 6th Brașov International Chess Festival, but there is also a tournament for players rated U1800 and two junior ones. All are nine-rounders, with a time limit in the non-junior events of all moves in 90 minutes, plus a 30-second increment.

There is an unusual schedule:

Sunday 24: Round 1 16:00

Monday 25: Round 2 15:00

Tuesday 26: Round 3 09:00, Round 4 16:00

Wednesday 27: Round 5 15:00

Thursday 28: Round 6 09:00, Round 7 16:00

Friday 29: Round 8 15:00

Saturday 30: Free

Sunday 31: Round 9 09:00

The congress is being held at my hotel, the Piatra Mare.

My room has a fridge which does not appear to work, wi-fi which is so feeble as to virtually not work, and poor lighting.

But the large double-bed looks comfortable, and the room is not unbearably hot despite there being no aircon.

A further odd note: although I am paying full board, reception refuse to tell me what the meal times are, saying I must ask the chess organiser.

And to add salt to my wounds, I have forgotten my plug adapter, so trying to find a suitably stocked shop is my early morning priority for tomorrow.