I met Ben Daswani and my life was changed

Posted by David Ottosen on August 5, 2008, 1:51:00
Poker King - on some island

I happened to be in Edmonton this week, and stopped by the Edmonton International, and at the post game dinner, I had a chance to encounter Ben Daswani. Let me start by saying I expected him to be a young punk, probably with backwards baseball cap and tattoos. Was I in for a surprise! When I caught my first glimpse of him, he was attired in a stunning 3 piece suit, topped off by a provocative fiery red ascot. However, his outfit was truly "made" by the diamond handled walking cane he used to jaunt about the restaurant. And the book was not solely the cover - we engaged in a lively discussion of the various merits of Chaucer vs Frost in European poetry, during which Ben made several excellent points and displayed an incredible knowledge of both the themes and influences of both men's works. The talk rarely strayed to chess matters, but Ben's thoughts on the matter were concise and to the point at all times! The night was marred, however, by one unpleasant incident - our waiter came by, and Ben's sharp eye immediately deduced that the waiter was sloppily attired, using only a half windsor knot on his tie instead of the international standard full windsor. With his usual keen wit, Ben corrected him as to proper attire in a subtle and helpful way, and all proceeded well, right until the end of the night when we toasted our new friendship with a pair of cosmopolitans. Huzzah to Ben. It was a pleasure meeting you!