There is something curious about birthdays. The most celebrated ones are children’s and those of very elderly people. Reaching 100 years or more is often hailed as a special event. But the birthday of Don Manuel Álvarez Escudero, 105, is really exceptional. Every year he receives a singular tribute: a chess tournament that bears his name.
Manuel is the oldest active registered chess player in the world, according to the ranking of the International Chess Federation, FIDE. The tournament held its fifth edition this Monday in a Madrid neighborhood, Moratalaz, and he sat down at the board again. He also won games again.
Manuel, known to his friends as Manolo, Manolín or don Manuel, has a genuine legion of admirers in Madrid’s chess community. The tournament that bears his name proved that again on Monday: 180 people signed up and many other fans were left out because there wasn’t room — the organizers simply didn’t have enough boards and pieces to expand capacity.
He arrived at the Moratalaz sports center with a smile on his face, escorted by his daughter Elena. As soon as he entered, the usual ritual began: hugs, congratulations and photos with players of all ages who wanted a memento with the dean of world chess. As usual, he cracked jokes with everyone who came up to him. And when someone asked him how he was feeling, he answered with the same mix of irony and warmth:
—I feel like garbage.
He said it with a smile, and shortly after sat at the board to show that, despite the joke, he remains in good shape. Manuel is getting a little frail, but he retains enviable mental agility. His wit is quick and he fires back answers instantly, although he admits many are part of his usual repertoire. He plays chess just as fast. His opponents watch in amazement as he moves pieces with purpose after barely a few seconds’ thought.
The tribute tournament was played in a seven-game rapid format, with each game lasting only about ten to fifteen minutes. Manuel won two: against a 10-year-old boy and a 61-year-old man; he drew with a 55-year-old; and lost to four adult opponents, aged 42, 49, 52 and 65.
During the brief breaks, players came over to take photos with him or to get his autograph. The children used the chance to play an informal game so they could boast one day that they, too, had played against Don Manuel. The older players also wanted their moment with the most illustrious player in miles around. A veteran 73-year-old chess player showed on his phone the photo he had taken with him: “I’m taking home a treasure, look.” Another player who was paired with him by lot, Gaspar Gil, 55, said: “I hit the jackpot. The best prize was either winning the tournament or playing against Manuel.”
During the games, a fan named Luis Reyes took note of every move to record them in his own database. He has written a 260-page digital document that circulates among aficionados where he gives a brief overview of Manuel’s life and where he has compiled Manuel’s 60 best games.
Manuel Álvarez Escudero, a Madrid native who trained as an engineer and physicist, took up chess quite late, at age 25. According to Reyes’ book, Manuel reached an Elo rating of almost 2,200 at his peak. That placed him among the top 1% or 2% in the world. He defeated, among others, a Cuban champion, Jesús Nogueiras. But the tournament he remembers most fondly is the Melon tournament in the Madrid town of Titulcia. As a prize, he took home 12 delicious melons.
For some time Manuel has become a admired rarity among chess experts. The runner-up in the tournament, 23-year-old International Master Marcos Linares, recalled that he first faced him when he was nine and Manuel was 89. “Even then it was rare to see someone so old playing chess,” he remembers. “One thing is to ask an elderly person to solve a math problem and another to compete in chess.”
A year ago, this newspaper witnessed how he sat three hours at the board to deliver checkmate to a 38-year-old opponent. In August, he again demonstrated his skill at the El Escorial tournament, where he won five of the seven games he played. So Monday’s tally left him wanting more, and he commented on the result with a mix of resignation and humor: “I expected that when I got older I would play better. What a nuisance!”
Manuel was recently widowed; his wife Pilar died at age 95. He has three children, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. At 105, he has joined another select club. Only 810 people in Spain are that age or older. His daughter Elena believes the secret to longevity is genetics because several members of Manuel’s family of eight siblings nearly reached a century. He has provided another clue in interviews: not drinking or smoking. Manuel’s chess colleagues point to another secret: his sociable nature and good humor.
Surrounded on Monday by his chess colleagues, he laughed at himself: “I used to measure 1.75 and now I measure 1.62. I’ve shrunk a ridiculous amount.” He said goodbye amid wishes to see him again next year.
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