![Spassky at the Gibraltar Chess Congress 2009](https://chessintranslation.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Spassky-at-the-Gibraltar-Chess-Congress-2009-150x150.jpg)
Bits and Pieces #1
Boris Spassky on his recovery, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov on Carlsen, Veselin Topalov on his fear of Santa Claus, and Darek Świercz makes Wijk-aan-Zee, with a little help from his trainer. Chess stories from Russia (and “Eastern Europe”) in brief.
![Didier Drogba](https://chessintranslation.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Didier_Drogba-150x150.jpg)
Topalov, Didier Drogba and romanticism in chess
In what some might consider cruel and unusual punishment, Bulgarian schoolchildren recently played chess with an IBM supercomputer. Fortunately, they had a little help from Veselin Topalov, who after the match gave an interview to Danail Kisov of Klassa.bg.
Topalov on Kramnik and the Russians
Topalov gave a long and often interesting interview to the Bulgarian “Capital” newspaper, but one remarkable section stands out. The interviewer’s mention of Kramnik was like waving a red rag at a bull.
Topalov: “if someone’s looking to create a provocation they’ll always find something”
Seldom have truer words been spoken than these by Topalov in an interview with the Bulgarian Topsport newspaper.