Students of mine from chess.com who visited me in my hometown

   Like always when man spent certain time of his life doing something, certain moment arrives look to be thrown backwards, to be seen how it was, what kind of memories remained. Years of working at chess.com as coach provided quiet new experience to me, although before I started with this job, I was in tournament chess for more than three decades.

   What was essentially new that I experienced on chess.com, working here, paying my electric bills out of providing as much as I know about the game - to students from all over the place, from all of meridians?

   It is benefit of internet, of modern era, that in one second you are in one part of the World, at the very next moment you are somewhere else, on some other continent. My fellow countryman, Grandmaster Bora Kostic from Vrsac, Serbia, *Globetrotter*, seeker for adventure, played in 1930`s against Indian Maharadja, also against opponent who was sitting on the North side of the Globe, while Kostic was sitting on the South part of the Globe, this happened while ship to carry Kostic from Europe to America in one moment was sailing over equator,- Kostic put chess board on the table on the deck of ship - the way middle of the board was matching with  the equator, and than moved his legendary *e4*... But, he needed the whole of life to circle World around.

   Today, you sit on a comp, in one moment you are in Africa, in the very next moment, you are talking with chess student from South America. And yes, this was the biggest benefit of working at chess.com as coach.

   People.

   People, different cultures, different nationalities, mentalities. But always same desire - to get into the secret of the game, to make pieces on the board dance in student`s rhythm. And I am here just to guide him or her a bit, to make them find solution in the certain position, to provoke them to think in certain direction.

  As years was passing by, some students and me felt that much attached to each other, some of them decided to visit me here, in Novi Sad, the second most populated city in Serbia, sometimes to travel from the opposite side of the World we to exchange a few *Tet - a - Tet*, as French would say, *Face to face*, about chess, about everything else. What else could be desire of coach?

   Remembrance on Grant Overby, engineer from US, visited me in 2020, impressed with Novi Sad as a city, with Danube River, barely we moved a few moves against each other while he was here.

   Lukajic Bojan and Grant Overby in front of hotel in which my guest stayed while he was visiting Novi Sad, Serbia in 2020.

   In Summer of 2022, Dr. Brendan Kelly from Ireland visited me, when Tal in 1970`s been in Novi Sad, he loved to quote old Chinese sentence that *One glass of brandy is smelling on another one*. Mr. Kelly and me didn`t exaggerate with beer, but it was Irish who visited me, after all.

   *Strand* beach on Danube River in Summer of 2022.

   When visited me in Novi Sad in 2022, Dr. Brendan Kelly was freshly married, it remains to be seen how his *Chess Queen* back in Ireland, and family obligations would influence his interest for the game.

   In *Novi Sad Chess Club*, it was some *Gambit* that been played...

   It became tradition almost, Slobodan Svircevic, born here, in Serbia, in youth days moved to England, created family there, found job in the office, happiness, - to visit Novi Sad over Summer, where roots are. I started to work with his children, than with him a bit, this is how we got to know each other. These days, every visit of his to the country where he was born is chance we to see each other, nice moments indeed, although always some story remains untold. 

   During visit to *Novi Sad Chess Club* in Summer of 2022, Slobodan Svircevic, in the middle of the photo, played game against Ljubisa Aleksic, exposed member of the club. Result been in the second plan. 

   And so it is, people come and go, leaving something, strictly personal. Memories are remaining until new meeting. To happen soon.