A unique chess route to the foot of Mount Everest. The team arrived at the Bazaar, training their brains during the course of the trek

Nastya Kuznetsova: news from Nepal, the Everchess 2024 team or "Your own board".

Greetings from the magical Himalayan valley leading to Everest! It is magical because wishes are fulfilled here and because it is beautiful. I would like to remind you that a team of chess players with a support group is climbing to the Everest base camp in order to take part in the world's first high-altitude chess tournament organized by the Russian Chess Federation.

The team is in good shape and in a good mood! Today our way lay from Phakding to the main city of the valley - the capital of the Sherpas Namche Bazaar (3450 m). We gained about 800 m in height, left at 9.00, arrived around 17. That is, it is clear that they were in no hurry, but with jokes and jokes they smoothly gained altitude.

The chess team wasted no time, the participants played several games "blindly". Along the way, exclamations like E2, G5 were heard every now and then, and when the others decided to clarify what this meant, it turned out that the guys were playing on the move without boards, keeping the whole game in mind. Was it possible? Something incredible! I didn't know until now that it was possible!

According to Andrey Minkov, and according to the results of the Russia - Nepal chess tournament, possible favorites for the upcoming match have already been determined. These are Alexander Ryazantsev, the grandmaster and coach of the Russian national team, and Yuri Kalinichenko, who decided to join the team at the last moment and ascends to the Everest summit with his charming wife Anastasia.

Along the way, we soaked up the beauty of the valley and felt the energy and special atmosphere of the Hillary Bridge, the name of a man revered among climbers.

In the evening we walked through the streets of Namche Bazaar at sunset, after dinner we divided according to interests.

A team of chess players trained their brains, but no longer with chess, a card game with some interesting name.

Another part of the team spent the evening playing dixie and talking about the peculiarities of brain activity depending on the height factor and not only with comments from our participant, Professor of neurology Eduard Yakupov, who runs his blog and helps people with sleep disorders.

Tomorrow is the day of acclimatization and the second night in Namche Bazaar.

Your guides are Valery Myasoedov, Andrey Berezin, Anastasia Kuznetsova.