A captain is never off duty!
Being a captain is a little like watching your child take an important exam. The preparation is done, the test has begun, and there is nothing left to do but wait and watch. The result matters, but all the parent can offer is their presence. We found some interesting photos from the Olympiad that show how the captains spent those long hours.
Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz
The waiting game
Classical chess games can last for hours. They require patience, concentration and sometimes a lot of waiting. For the audience, this can be quite a test. I once heard a comedian joke, “I went to watch a chess match. I should have brought Ludo with me.”
But what about the people who cannot simply leave?
I have often wondered what seconds and captains do while their players are deep into a classical game. Do they watch a movie? Go out for a coffee? Take a walk?
At the recent Chess Olympiad, I saw many pictures of captains in the playing hall. Imagine being a captain. Four players from your team are playing their games, and you have to remain in the playing hall until the matches are over. Sounds tough to me. I would probably be up for it if I were allowed to bring my phone and headphones. I could happily spend those hours watching some cringe-worthy shows. If not, I could probably spend a few hours painting.
In reality, this can't happen. So what does a captain do? Once a round begins, a captain's real work is done. The lineup has been submitted, the pairings are fixed, and not a single change can be done. You can't signal anything to your players. All that's left is to sit, which sounds hard.
The captains, it turns out, found a simple answer. They read.
It doesn't look like the captains were reading about chess at all. But I wonder: what if these captains simply got together and played a board game while their players were busy playing? Sounds better, no? So here is a modest proposal for FIDE: a Captains' Lounge! Stock it with board games and playing cards. It is all for the captains’ well-being, of course...
All jokes aside, the captains deserve far more credit than they usually get!
In a team event, a player gets a rest day when the lineup rotates. The captain never does. Every round, they are there. Before the tournament, they help the players prepare. After a painful loss, they are the first person a player needs to see. And before the next round, they are the ones who have to bring the confidence back.
When a team wins, the players take the applause. When a team struggles, the captain absorbs the pressure.
So here is a big shoutout to all the captains from every team at the Olympiad. The Captains' Lounge may still be a dream, but the respect is very real! :)
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