A great comeback

Yes, let's face it, it was just great to see Garry Kasparov sit at the board, make all the faces that those of my generation have loved and criticized - as if a chess player of his strength would need a poker-face - and join the fray again, after 12 years of chess inactivity. 

Photo by Eric Rosen
You can see a set of nice shots HERE

I can't see anything negative in Kasparov's comeback. The result? C'mon, it doesn't matter.  Watching the games, I have seen kibitzers going for the squalid comments such as "he is too old," "he shouldn't have gotten back into action, this is diminishing his charisma," etc. People, the truth is that Kasparov generates interest, to bring chess out of the dark and - frankly - sad rooms it is typically relegated into. 
The greatness is still there, of course. Garry won some brilliant games, showing that what he lacks is practice. 
 

Chess is a game of patience, which needs training, even for the most talented. Let's hope he won't feel bad about his results, and that this wasn't his only appearance at the chess board. 
Levon Aronian, who recently announced his wedding with Arianne Caoili, was the dominator of the GCT event in St. Louis. Aronian won the rapid leg with 12 points out of 9 rounds (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw) and managed to keep up the pace of an excellent Sergey Karjakin in the blitz leg. At the end of the event, Levon scored three full points more than his immediate chaser, Karjakin indeed.
Double-Congratulations, Levon!

Millions of people have followed the games and the excellent commentary provided by the St. Louis Chess and Scholastic Center.
ICC relayed all the games, and had two of his best commentators and content creators recap the two legs: GM Alex Yermolinsky went on air on ICCTV after the Rapid leg, and GM Ronen Har-Zvi covered the Blitz leg.