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MOST 2009 Commentary: Round 13

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Go to: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, Round 6, Round 7, Round 8, Round 9, Round 10, Round 11, Round 12, Round 13, Round 14, Round 15, Round 16, Round 17, Round 18, Round 19, Round 20.

Round 13

Always the round that is unlucky for some and even more unlucky for others. But still, there has to be 31 winners and 31 losers. (Unless we have yet another draw!)

This is Game seven for the day, so the locals are beginning to look a little tired, and even some of the visitors, who are pretty used to long Scrabble days of up to 9 or 10 games in a day. After Round 12, David Webb (Eng) moved clear of the field with 10 wins and only 2 losses, followed by a pack of seven players on 9 wins/3 losses. Leading this pack with a spread of plus 1217 is Philip Nelkon (Eng).

The battles being fought in the hall today are intense and often passionate and ruthless, but still do not compare with 'The Great Siege' which was fought on the Ramparts of Fort St. Elmo and Fort St. Angelo in August/September 1565, between the Knights of St. John and the Muslim army from Turkey of 30,000 fighting warriors. Around six weeks of ferocious fighting saw 600 Knights downed and thousands of warriors fallen on the walls of the Forts until eventually a retreat was called by the Turks which finished the battle. The Maltese , curiously enough, do not celebrate this historical event but do celebrate their Freedom day every 31st March , which was when the British Armed Forces finally left Malta during the Mintoff era in the 1970s, not long after Independence Day (21st September). After all, if your home happens to be at the crossroads of the Med it is inevitable that everyone would want a part of the action, which included, the British, the French as well as the Turks! History lesson over.