PANAJI
The ongoing FIDE World Cup being held at Arpora has attracted chess enthusiasts in large numbers. And the BITS Pilani Rajasthan chess team were among the fans making the most of the opportunity to soak in the festive atmosphere at the venue.
This writer met up with the six friends in the Fan Zone playing chess while live commentary of the third round game two was underway. Speaking to 'The Goan', the chess aficionados spoke about their love for the game and their impression of being at the 11th edition of the World Cup.
"I am generally well in touch with the chess world. I make it a point to at least follow all tournaments," Akash stated. "As a chess team, we made a plan to visit a tournament. With the news of the World Cup being held in Goa, it was just perfect. All of us made a plan to meet here and watch the World Cup," he added.
"I find the tournament well organised. We have been fans of the ChessBase India commentary team since the (COVID-19) lockdown, and I was excited to see them in person. Along with that, watching the grandmasters coming through and heading towards the tournament hall was pretty surreal. We waved a hi to them and they waved back to us," Pavitra said.
"We bought tickets for the tournament with no plans whatsoever. We went inside the playing hall and saw everyone walking right past us, playing the games. It was just amazing," Manthan chimed in.
Mihir, meanwhile, lauded the arrangement for the viewing area for the spectators entering the tournament hall. "We had three rows to stand and watch, to ensure we did not disturb the players. There were also the chessboards on display screens above so we could see the matches better if they were afar," he mentioned.
Dev revelled in the atmosphere at the Fan Zone. "Seeing the commentators live like Sagar Shah, Sahaj Grover, Sahil Tickoo was amazing. We also have chessboards where we can analyse the positions ourselves, see different lines, and different variations. It is wonderful," he enthused.
"In the Fan Zone, the commentators analyse positions and ask the audience about what they think. If there is a critical move, we are asked if we can find a nice move in the position," Aarya stated.
