By NM Leland Fuerstman
Charlotte, NC 11-23-16: Wow! What an excursion! For the sake of brevity, I shall forgo posting images of the tall buildings and bright lights of NYC and concentrate more on the personal aspects of my visit. When I was a little boy in the early 50's, my grandparents lived on Riverside Drive on the "upper west side" of Manhattan in New York City. My sister Joan still lives right down the street from their old apartment. She was kind enough to allow me to stay with her. My first recollections of a subway train emanated from climbing the old wooden stairway at the 125th Street Station. Only at this point, for logistical reasons, did the train actually come up out of the ground! In fact, in very few places, save the "train yard," does this occur anywhere in NYC! Over time, the facade has deteriorated and been upgraded, but the original above-ground structure is still in place. Back in the 70's & 80's, street artists covered each train car with the highest quality graffiti you could ever imagine, including the
logos of various
street gangs, but every Mayor since
then has prohibited the trend. Now, the trains
are modern, clean, fast and laden with
advertising - in 4 or 5
different languages! - The morning after I
arrived, it was my honor to have lunch at a
quaint little Chinese Restaurant
on Broadway & 96th St.
with the most prolific chess author and
teacher known to man. Having been around
forever, NM Bruce Pandolfini is a
chess celebrity who has authored no
less than 40 chess books! (His character was played
by Ben Kingsly in the movie "Searching For Bobby
Fischer!") It should be
noted that 10 years ago, my sister Lenore,
and his wife Roz were good friends
when their daughters were each attending a
special school and accompanying each other to
various camps. In fact, after hearing her
play, the Pandolfini's hired Natasha
to teach Sara, piano! Bruce is
the most humble and amicable gentleman you
could ever meet. He had to bolt back to his
classes just before Lenore arrived. In
this candid image, he's chatting with her!
Then, I accompanied her to the bank where her
agent said he was once a rated tournament
player! What a small world...
Later that day, I made my way "downtown" to the celebrated Marshall Chess Club! On the wall, is a huge plaque which includes the name of every club Champion since it's inception! The interior of the club involves a couple of narrow staircases and a maze of small rooms!? (curiously, similar to the local chess center...) Amazingly, I ran into chess icon SM Sunil Weeramantry who is the step-father of GM Hikaru Nakamura (2779). I reminded him that I had met him 25 or so years ago. Then, I walked into another room where IM Jay Bonin (2417) was sitting. I introduced myself and reminded him that we had played in the World Open at the Roosevelt Hotel some 30+ years ago! He didn't remember the game, but he remembered my name. Moments after capturing his image, he "friended" me on FaceBook! It is my understanding that Bonin has played more rated games than any player in history!!! - Then, I walked down the narrow staircase and encountered a young gentleman named Wil who agreed to play skittles. Without the clock, he played 1. e4 to which I responded, ...c5. The game proceeded with 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cd 4. Qd4!? a6 5. Be3 Nc6 6. Qb6! Are you kidding me?! Somehow, I shored the position up and won the ending. The next game, I offered a Pawn that couldn't be taken. Wil exclaimed, "Now, I can tell people that I won a Pawn from a Master!" and then politely resigned. However, in the final game, he promptly negotiated a Pawn to the "e6" square and summarily checkmated me! When I asked about his rating, he said that he had never played a tournament game in his life! Then I asked, "where did you learn to play so well" to which he responded, "...some dude at Washington Square Park!! The guy I play is not quite as good as you!" I was truly flattered.
The following day, Saturday, November 19, I put on my suit and tie, attached my "official credentials badge
" and proceeded to
meet my son, Sammy, at the South
Street Seaport where the 2016
World Chess Championship was being
contested. The single day tickets were $75 each. When
we got to the door, I asked a member of
security where the "will-call" line was? I was
pointed to a counter where I stridently
stepped forward and opened my jacket. Exposing
my card, 
I
boldly stated, "National Master
Leland
Fuerstman, North Carolina... we're
in the system." The clerk looked
at the computer screen and said, "how do
you spell that?" Then, I flashed the opposite
side of the card, whereupon he quickly
wrapped our wrists with "passes" and pointed
to the entrance! My "gatecrashing" father,
rest his soul, would have been proud of that
one. We saved $150!!
- They were giving the badge stickers away to
kids in the security line at the airport! LOL
- In Yiddish, we "schnorred"
our way in! 
So, we entered the rooms where a few areas had been set aside with large
flat screen TV's,
(not quite as
large as they should have been)
and too few tables and chairs. 
As I glanced around,
I observed various celebrities and people whom
I knew. Here is Sammy with a beautiful
correspondent from a NY paper!
Then, we bumped into this gentleman who was
from Sweden. After a bit of small
talk, I ask his name. He was Sweden's
#2 player behind Timman, GM Harry Schussler,
who is now an international reporter and
author. Then, we entered the large room where
the post game interview was to take place. The
chess photographers
all gathered to record this historic event.
There, I bumped into a friendly guy named Korey Kormick
from Tennessee, who recently directed
an FIDE event here in Charlotte!
As the hours went on, the moves continued to
be instantly transferred
to the screens. But, the players, World
Champion GM Magnus Carlsen and
Challenger GM Sergey Karjakin, were
playing in an isolated, sound proof room. And
then, the game concluded for their 7th
consecutive Draw! For the first few
minutes, the players shook hands and signed
autographs in a private room. Then, they came out on the
stage to a warm round of applause. Judith Polgar
was the commentator. Each player spoke for 5
or 10 minutes allowing spectators
to take advantage of their smart phones.
Finally, they egressed. What a fantastic day!
Later that evening, we stopped at a Spanish fish market and grocery store and came home with chicken and crab legs which Sammy cooked to perfection! Then, we joined his beautiful wife, Colette, at their Irish Bar on the East side called the Confession Box. No TV's or cell phones allowed. Just traditional Irish music played by an outstanding band! Then, immediately following their 2nd set, after I had already consumed a significant amount of Irish spirits, the guy announces, "and now, directly from North Carolina, Leland!!" What?? Apparently, Sam and his wife had put a bug in their ear and they decided to ask me to play and sing. I could think of a dozen reasons why I shouldn't take the stage... his guitar had metal strings, mine has nylon, the neck was too narrow for my hands, etc, etc. But, the show must go on! So, I took the stage and attempted to do my best... and, before I knew it, Sammy was singing harmony with me and the crowd was roaring! Then, I sang Bob Seger's "Turn the Page." When I got to the refrain, I said, "come on, help me out" whereupon everyone in the entire building was singing!, "...Here I am, on the road again, here I am, up on the stage, here I go, playin' the star again, here I go, turn the page!!!" Every chubby woman, the bartender, the owner, the dishwasher, every lonely drunk, every young couple in the house was singing! It was "off the chain." The song resulted in a roaring approval of applause which I shall never forget. What a great moment! (In fact, I have been invited back for a return performance!)
The following day, the World Champion went down in flames. Though I did not attend the event, I observed it on my phone. Frankly, I was so worn out from the previous day, I didn't have the energy to go. (I lost 5 lbs. on the trip. Southerners are not used to all of the walking up and down stairs and so many blocks up and down the street. Hey, move to NYC and lose weight!). So, I decided to have dinner with my daughter-in-law, Colette. She comes from Scotland and speaks in the thickest Scottish brogue you can imagine. We talked for 2 hours over dinner and I couldn't understand a word she said!! LOL But, she is so loving and beautiful, it didn't make any difference.
Monday, I retreated to Joan's and rested. I enjoyed the chance to reminisce with her and eat delicious pizza purchased from the Spanish pizza place! That was surely one of the greatest vacations I have had in some time. Flew back yesterday. When I walked in, Butt-Butt gave me a big kiss!
Leland