Ziryab
| Players: |
64 |
|
Time Control: |
3 days/move |
| Max Group Size: |
4 |
|
Rating Range: |
Open |
| # Advance: |
2 |
|
Tie Breaks: |
Yes |
| Points Available: |
586 |
|
Games Rated: |
Yes |
95% COMPLETE!
|
| Tournament Stats |
|---|
| Starting Players: |
64 |
Completed Games: |
359 (tournament is 95% complete) |
| Eliminated Round 1: |
30 (46% of field) |
Games in Round 1: |
192
|
| Eliminated Round 2: |
12 (18% of field) |
Games in Round 2: |
90
|
| Eliminated Round 3: |
8 (12% of field) |
Games in Round 3: |
48
|
| Eliminated Round 4: |
3 (4% of field) |
Games in Round 4: |
18
|
| Eliminated Round 5: |
2 (3% of field) |
Games in Round 5: |
12
(91% completed) |
| Players Withdrawn: |
10 (15%) |
# Timeouts: |
53 (14%) |
| Remaining Players: |
9 (14%) |
Remaining Games: |
1 (current round) |
| Average Rating: |
1628 |
Biggest Upset: |
1702 defeats 2210 |
The group, Chess Association, has organized the following tournament, in honor of Ziryab:
http://www.chess.com/tournament/ziryab
Abu l-Hasan ‘Ali Ibn Nafi‘ (Persian and Arabic: أبو الحسن علي ابن نافع; Kurdish: ئهبو ئهلحهسهن عهلی إبن نافع)(c. 789—857), nicknamed Ziryab (Persian language: Zaryâb, Kurdish: زراو Zorab), was a Persian or Kurdish polymath: a poet, musician, singer, cosmetologist, fashion designer, celebrity, trendsetter, strategist, astronomer, botanist and geographer. He was active at the Umayyad court of Córdoba in Islamic Iberia.
According to some sources, he was a former slave, possibly a Zanj of Tanzanian descent. The name "Ziryab" (Blackbird) was given to him for his dark complexion, eloquence, and melodious voice. He first achieved notoriety at the Abbasid court in Baghdad, Iraq, his birth place, as a performer and student of the great musician and composer, Ishaq al-Mawsili.
Ziryab was a gifted pupil of Ishaq al-Mawsili. He had to leave Baghdad when his skills as a musician surpassed those of his teacher. He moved to Córdoba in southern Iberian Peninsula and was accepted as court musician in the court of Abd al-Rahman II of the Umayyad Dynasty (822-52).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziryab
If you eat asparagus, or if you start your meal with soup and end with dessert, or if you use toothpaste, or if you wear your hair in bangs, you owe a lot to one of the greatest musicians in history. He was known as Ziryab, a colloquial Arabic term that translates as “blackbird.” He lived in medieval Spain more than a thousand years ago. He was a freed slave who made good, charming the royal court at Córdoba with his songs. He founded a music school whose fame survived more than 500 years after his death. Ibn Hayyan of Córdoba, one of Arab Spain’s greatest historians, says in his monumental Al-Muqtabas (The Citation) that Ziryab knew thousands of songs by heart and revolutionized the design of the musical instrument that became the lute. He spread a new musical style around the Mediterranean, influencing troubadours and minstrels and affecting the course of European music.
He was also his generation’s arbiter of taste and style and manners, and he exerted enormous influence on medieval European society. How people dressed, what and how they ate, how they groomed themselves, what music they enjoyed—all were influenced by Ziryab. If you’ve never heard of this remarkable artist, it’s not surprising. With the twists and turns of history, his name has dropped from public memory in the western world. But the changes he brought to Europe are very much a part of the reality we know today.
Ziryab brought in astrologers from India and Jewish doctors from North Africa and Iraq. The astrologers were grounded in astronomy, and Ziryab encouraged the spread of this knowledge.
The Indians also knew how to play chess, and Ziryab had them teach the game to members of the royal court, and from there it spread throughout the peninsula.
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200407/flight.of.the.blackbird-.compilation..htm
Have fun and thanks for your participation! 
Illuminatus
Group Leader
Chess Association
http://www.chess.com/groups/home/chess-association
