Cevdet Kizil, Champion of CevdetChess 1 Minute Blitz International Chess Tournament '2003

It was a cold December night in 2003... CevdetChess called for a worldwide international tournament of 1 minute blitz that anyone around the globe could join. Many applications were received in a few weeks. The players who would participate in the tournament were from the U.S.A., Canada, Turkey, Russia, Greece, France, England, Germany, Scotland, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Yugoslavia.

Despite the number of players joining the tournament, according to the chess authorities following the competition, I was shown as the favorite player. The main reason for this was that I had 2050+ rating and was in really good form just a couple of days before the tournament.

However, there existed a reality known by the chess authorities and players joining the tournament. Russian, Yugoslavian and Bosnian players who had registered for this tournament were also very dangerous opponents and this factor had to be remembered by everyone.  As an example, when I had been asked about my opinion about the tournament, I said: "I am having some really good games recently, I have had some matches which I won quickly and in a few moves. So I am in form. Also, I learned that I am being considered as the favorite player of the tournament. I am very happy and honored. On the opposite side, any surprise can occur in the tournament and I will be prepared for this". To speak about the other players participating in the competition, none of them were telling that they were going for the champion title or even a second or third place. The most interesting thing was that some were even not giving themselves any chance and were telling that they knew my career beforehand, and they were still able to remember that I was the 1998 Zone 1 Minute Blitz World Champion.

At the end of the tournament, it was like I had proved the accuracy of the estimations. I had earned the champion title of CevdetChess 1 Minute Blitz International Chess Tournament '2003. Actually this tournament was one of the best ones in my career since I had finished the competition with 12/12 points by winning all of my games. I was followed by Jason Leonard (2nd place) from Canada - British Columbia. However, Jason Leonard's 2nd place success was considered to be a surprise for some authorities. Finally, Elvir Milavic of Bosnia & Herzegovina was the last player to complete the tournament with a victory (3rd place). For the majority, this was an expected result.