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Sarath Babu GeorgeTHIRUVANANTHAPURAMJuly 31, 2022 19:11 IST

Updated:August 01, 2022 16:34 IST

Updated:August 01, 2022 16:34 IST

50 students undergo coaching in the game at Fort child-friendly station

50 students undergo coaching in the game at Fort child-friendly station

The chess fever that has gripped the country which is hosting the 44th Chess Olympiad appears to have rubbed off on the unlikeliest of places a police station.

Intriguing names like the En Passant capture, Sicilian Defence and Queens Gambit echo in the halls of the Fort child-friendly police station in Thiruvananthapuram that has become a training centre for budding chess players.

An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) is donning the role of a chess coach at the station and the initiative has attracted nearly 50 students within a week of its launch.

The trainees hail from economically disadvantaged families at Karimadom colony, Chala and other localities that are known for their high crime and school dropout rates. The police view the endeavour, launched by Fort Assistant Commissioner S. Shaji and Inspector J. Rakesh, as one that could provide students a sense of purpose.

ASI V. Ajayakumar, the coach who is in charge of the child-friendly police station, vouches for the role of chess in enhancing the skills of children. Chess is scientifically proven to instil 18 cognitive skills and nine non-cognitive skills. The game, despite being a non-active sport, benefits children by boosting their concentration, decision-making and scientific-reasoning skills, and strategic-thought process. It is high time that the game is included in the school curriculum as advocated by our chess icon Viswanathan Anand, says the officer who has been associated with the Student Police Cadet project of the Kerala Police for nine years.

Yuggaruphan, a Class 5 student of Government Higher Secondary School at Punnamoodu in the district, hopes to follow his idol Anands footsteps. Initiated into the world of chess by his father at the age of five, he harbours the dream of becoming a Grandmaster one day.

An unsatisfied Ajayakumar eggs him on to represent the country at a Chess Olympiad.

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Watch | Police station in Thiruvananthapuram turns a chess academy - The Hindu

When the giant screen at the grassy centre courtyard of the venue began to stream R Praggnanandhaas game, the scattered crowd turned their collective gaze towards the screen. For the next five-odd minutes their eyes remain fixed on the screen. It did not matter what moves he made, how clear his lines were, or what the scope of his openings were, whether you are a chess geek or knew nothing about the game. They were content just seeing him, his neck craning onto the board so much so that a deep exhaling of breath could blow the pieces.

The feed stopped; their gaze scattered. Inside the hall, a few spectators were stretching their heads to spot him India B teams board is the closest to the spectators enclosure. From their awkward perch, they could almost see his head, but they could neither cheer nor shout. They cant resist yelling out, but their passes would be struck out. Perhaps, someone someday would.

His big round eyes twitching over the board, Praggnanandhaa is immune to the frenzy around him, or those outside just praying for his victory. He is in a cerebral tussle with his Italian rival Lorenzo Lodici, fresh from stalling Norways progress on Sunday. The Indian had endured a difficult Sunday, trailing for most of the match and winning on his opponents sloppy time management. But none of this was to affect him, or force him to the ultra-defensive. As is often the case, he began with a dynamic opening, the semi-slav, a tactical and aggressive opening. The early exchanges gave him the command, and a pawn sacrifice gave an indication that he could venture early for the kill.

But Lodici slowed the game down, and what followed was a cramming of the central lines, both their pieces almost structured like a pyramid. Praggnanandhaa repositioned his knight, tempting him to counterattack. But Lodici just kept fortifying his king, weaving an elaborate labyrinth that his adversary could not breach. The Indian tried to decongest the central channels but Lodici refused to make inroads. He sensed the dangers as Praggnanandhaa had favourable pieces for a sideways launch. He shut shop.

The middle-game laboured on endlessly and without a clear conclusion. The bishop G2 on the 36th turn was perhaps his dice Praggnanandhaa threw at opening up his opponents wall. But Lodici refused to shed his dour defence, and after 42 moves, with no clear result in the prospect, they shook hands for a draw. A case could be made that the Indian could have been more aggressive in the middle-game, but again, against his deep defensive lines, it would have been difficult to wreak havoc. Besides, there had been times in the past where his ultra-aggressive approach when strangulated had resulted in defeats. So, he too played along, and a draw against a tough opponent was not a bad result.

The result seemed inconsequential for his supportersthat is most of the crowd that had assembled here. They still waited for him at the entrance, for an autograph, a selfie or that innocence-sparkling smile of his.

For, there is a deeper emotional connection at play that reduces a draw or a win or a loss to an academic non significance. No matter how they mourn his defeat or celebrate his victories, they dont judge him by his results. For, the predominant emotion is love. Its unique, for as much as the city loves chess, celebrates the chess heroes, brags and revels in their exploits, they have never loved someone as much as they have Praggnanandhaa.

In him, they see their own son, their younger brother, their friendhe has burst the cultural and social barriers attached with the game, even de-intellectualised the perception of a chess hero. He talks the language that all grandmasters do, but he strikes a deeper chord that differentiates a hero and an idol.

To use a Tamil refrain, he is one of the makkal (common man), or namma payyan (our boy) loveable and relatable, one of the masses, one everyone can aspire to, the everymans role model. One you could touch and feel that he is so human. The halo around him is that he has no halo.

Simply, he showed that anyone could be a Grandmaster. The background does not matterhis parents have hardly played chess, even now their understanding of the game is fundamental, his background was privileged but a common middle-class family. It also helps that he is naturally charmingthe smile disarms, the eyes still radiate a boyish mischief, the manners are mild and there is something ineffably endearing about him.

The city is watching his talent unfold and fame soar as the country once did Sachin Tendulkar. He brings the caged sport into the galleries; he fuels a melange of emotions, from joy and love to dejection and reverence. Half the people sprawled into the centre courtyard cant fathom moves or decode chess notation. But they follow him blindly, rejoice in his victories and mourn in his miseries, as though the experience is deeply personal, as though they are experiencing the same emotions as he is.

Originally posted here:
The hero without a halo, Chennai's 'namma paiyyan' (our boy) Praggnanandhaa has the fans on a string - The Indian Express

Optical Illusion: Are these two sets of chess pieces the same or different? This mind-bending optical illusion of two sets of chess pieces is taking the Internet by storm. Keep reading.

Optical Illusion: The Mystery Behind Two Sets of Chess Pieces

Optical Illusion: This mind-boggling optical illusion image has internet users perplexed as to how the two sets of chess pieces can be the same.

Yes, we are speaking about the optical illusion image shared by Tom Chivers on Twitter with the caption the top and bottom chess sets are the same colour.

The image below shows two sets of chess pieces that are different from each other in their appearance.

What if we told you that these two sets are identical?

Would you agree?

You wont.

Well, we will be explaining to you the mystery behind the statement that the two sets of chess pieces are the same.

Keep reading.

This optical illusion image was created by researchers Barton Anderson, from the University of Sydney, Australia, and Jonathan Winawer, of New York University and was published in the science journal Nature.

Have a look at the image again.

You can see that there are two sets of chess pieces against a smoky background. Interestingly, this image's upper set of chess pieces is against a dark smoky background, while the lower set is against a lighter background.

This illusion is created by the smoky background and is responsible for altering our perception.

This is possible due to the phenomenon of assimilation, which tricks our brain into thinking that these are different colours although they are the same.

In this phenomenon, when an object is placed in a darker background, it appears light, while the same object appears dark when placed in a lighter environment.

We hope you had a great experience reading this story; for more such exciting story pieces, stay connected with us.

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Optical Illusion: Black or White? The Mystery Behind Two Sets of Chess Pieces - Jagran Josh

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 2 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Premium water brand smartwater, owned by The Coca-Cola Company, has signed a partnership with Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE), to be the official and exclusive beverage partner for the 44th Chess Olympiad 2022. The Olympiad will be held in Chennai, India from 28 July to 10 August 2022.

This will be the first Chess Olympiad to take place in the country. Now sold as a premium product globally, smartwater was first introduced in 1996 in the United States, and by 2016 it was one of the top five bottled water brands in that country, with sales worth nearly USD 830 million in 2017. Barely two years later, India was already the fourth largest market globally for the brand, with a presence in over 10,000 outlets across the country.

Karthik Subramanian, Director, Marketing, Hydration Coffee and Tea Category, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia said, "Made through vapour distillation, water is evaporated to remove impurities, condensed and then re-mineralized with electrolytes for a crisp, pure taste, making smartwater a premium hydrating beverage. We are proud to partner with the first-ever Chess Olympiad taking place in India, as rehydration will be an important need for the participants, especially taking into account the high temperatures in Chennai at the time." The brand is also available in other countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, The United Arab Emirates, Croatia, Singapore, Serbia, Romania, Malaysia, and Canada. Renowned global celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Gal Gadot, and Zendaya, have endorsed smartwater.

In India as well, the brand has leveraged local celebrity brand ambassadors Rana Daggubati and Radhika Apte to drive brand edge, all the while experimenting with digital marketing strategies and expanding distribution in select channels to retain its position as a premium offering. In 2019, Smartwater alkaline and Smartwater antioxidant were introduced globally to meet the growing desire for hydration options throughout the day. These global innovations have continued with the launch of Smartwater flavors--inspired by the lightly infused waters found at spas-- Smartwater sparkling, and Smartwater+, infused with a range of fruit essences and rejuvenating extracts.

Coca-Cola India will supply 70,000 bottles of smartwater, to ensure that the participants in the Olympiad will stay hydrated, which is important for them to perform at their highest level. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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smartwater Is the official beverage partner for 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 - Devdiscourse

By Venkatachari Jagannathan

Chennai, Aug 1 (IANS): Chess pieces that move on their own as if possessed by some spirit, artistic boards, handcrafted pieces made of camel bones and several other novelties are available in the Indian market.

There is also a 100-square chess board -- normal boards have 64 squares -- with new pieces like bull, camel, kangaroo and dragon.

India that exported 'chaturanga', or the game of chess, is now shipping out chess boards to several countries like the USA, UAE and others in sizable numbers.

According to the Department of Commerce figures, India exported USD3.27m worth of chess boards between April 2021 and January 2023 as against USD2.49m worth of shipment during FY21.

A chess-board manufacturer also said his company has taken steps to make digital boards which are currently being imported.

"Smart chess boards are in demand as people want to move away from watching the screens -- mobile, laptops and desktops. The chess pieces move in an automated manner powered by robotics. There are also rollable electronic boards," said PN Naveen Karthikeyan, proprietor of My Chess Dreams, the Indian distributor for the US-based Square Off.

"With these boards, one can play chess anywhere with anyone in the world who is connected with certain chess portals," Karthikeyan, a FIDE arbiter and the author of the book 18x64 that links the 64-square chess board and the 18 chapters of Bhagavad Gita, said.

At the ongoing 44th Chess Olympiad venue, chess board manufacturers, who have put up stalls, are smiling as they are getting enquiries from several foreign participants.

"The demand for wooden chess boards and pieces will never go away even though there are vinyl boards there," Nikhil Dhir, partner, Paramount Dealz, told IANS.

Dhir, a mechanical engineer formerly with Reliance Industries at Jam Nagar in Gujarat, in partnership with Pratik Matlawala started his chess board company in 2018.

"We ship our boards to the US, UK and UAE. Our total turnover is about USD0.7 million and this year we hope to touch USD1 million," Dhir said.

Liking the wooden chess boards to the iconic 350cc Enfield Bullet bike, Dhir said, "Everyone wants to own a Bullet bike for its unique engine noise. But they also want modern features like button start and others. Similar is the case with wooden chess boards.

"The chess pieces are handcrafted as per the FIDE specifications," he added.

While vinyl chess boards are foldable and easy to carry, Paramount Dealz has come out with a wooden chess board that can be rolled up.

"We are planning to have a prototype of the digital chess board ready soon. Currently it is being imported," Dhir said.

For the 44th Chess Olympiad that is being held at Mamallapuram near here, the digital chess boards were sent by the international chess federation (FIDE).

Simply put, digital and electronic chess boards are the ones where the moves made by the players are automatically transferred to computers and also enables live transmission.

Be that as it may, apart from wooden chess boards and pieces, manufacturers also make metal boards and carve chess pieces out of camel bones.

"We also make chess pieces with camel bones apart from regular and special pieces in wood for domestic and export markets," Ricky, CEO, Taj Chess Store told IANS.

The five-year-old Taj Chess Store, after focusing on exports to the US, UK and Australia, has started retailing in India for the last two years.

The wooden chess boards and pieces are made with rose wood, box wood, maple wood, ebony wood, acacia wood and others.

According to Dhir, garden chess sets -- huge chess boards and pieces -- are in demand from hotels and other institutions.

The industry players said the holding of the Olympiad has further increased interest in chess and board sales are brisk.

"Owing to Covid-19, sales of chess boards went down. People were in lockdown due to the pandemic and the sale of chess boards went down. But now it is picking up," AL Muthukaruppan, the owner of 8x8 that makes rexine chess boards and plastic chess pieces, told IANS.

India exports chess boards and pieces made of wood, rexine and plastic.

"We export rexine boards and plastic pieces to Europe, Sri Lanka, UAE, Canada and the US. In the domestic market we sell across the country," Rajendra Sagar, owner of Sagar Sports told IANS.

Interestingly, his wife and two daughters are strong chess players -- elder daughter Tejaswani Sagar is a Woman International Master with an ELO rating of 2,166, while his younger daughter Siya Sagar has an ELO rating of 1,831 and wife Anjali R Sagar has a rating of 1,836.

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Of chess pieces that move on their own and handcrafted pieces made of camel bones - Daijiworld.com