Chennai to become Chess City from Monday with Chess Tournaments in Parks, Stadium, Govt Secretariat ~ World Chess Championship 2013 Viswanathan Anand vs Magnus Carlsen at Chennai Hyatt Regency
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Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Chennai to become Chess City from Monday with Chess Tournaments in Parks, Stadium, Govt Secretariat

Posted by World Chess Championship 2013 News Blog Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Come Monday and you would be able to zip down from your office, catch a quick chess game with a professional player in a nearby park, and win a prize for the dinner... in Chennai that is. Chess is going to become a street-celebration this season in Chennai beginning Monday (October 28).

The Chennai Hyatt Regency is hosting the Anand, Carlsen World Chess Championship from November 7. The All-India Chess Federation (AICF) has planned a series of parallel chess tournaments and events. The AICF is going to take chess to the city parks, Nehru Stadium and the government offices' secretariat!


One of the Chennai venues for street chess this October-November: Anna Nagar Tower Park was built in 1968 as part of the World Trade Fair. 

First up will be blitz chess tournaments for bureaucrats, journalists, the secretariat staff, veterans (above 60 years), and film artistes. There will also be a chess event for the visually challenged from October 27-31. $9000 approx will be set aside as prizes for each of these chess tourname­nts.

“We want to involve people from cross-sections of society and take chess to the masses,” says AICF president J.C.D. Prabhakar. He told journalists a list of professional chess players is being prepared. These chess players will take up challenges from the public at select locations across Chennai: Anna Nagar Tower, Mylapore’s Nagesh­wa­ra Rao Park and T. Nagar’s Panagal Park between 4 pm and 6 pm until November 5. Everyone who beats the professional players will win prizes.

Prabhakar also said they would try and arrange for public display screens/boards at select locations across Chennai as part of the Anand, Carlsen World Chess Championship side events. -- Zainab Raza Undulusi