Classical act: Despite evolution of chess, purest form of sport is here to stay
The New Indian Express Nagapattinam|December 07, 2024
A couple of days ahead of the World Championship, Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana had checked into Singapore.
SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN
Classical act: Despite evolution of chess, purest form of sport is here to stay

In an alternate world, the former, the World No 1 across all three regular formats (Classical, Rapid and Blitz), would have arrived in the city-state to play the final. Now? Not so much. He had arrived with Caruana, the World No 2 in Classical, to play a couple of games of freestyle chess, a variant of the game. In this game, the starting order of the pieces on the back rank are randomised. So, as D Gukesh and Ding Liren checked into a plush hotel for the World Championship, Carlsen and Caruana, with a bevy of photographers, sailed off on a yacht to play a couple of freestyle games.

Carlsen won the series – of course he won the series – before posting something provocative on X. "Freestyle > Classical". He, of course, knew what he was doing. In less than 24 hours, the World Championship's first game was about to get underway. On November 25, less than two hours after the final began, Emil Sutovsky, the CEO of the world body (FIDE), couldn't resist. "Classical > any other", he wrote on X.

Welcome to the battle to preserve the board game's purest version and its immediate siblings in the face of increasing alternatives.

This story is from the December 07, 2024 edition of The New Indian Express Nagapattinam.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 07, 2024 edition of The New Indian Express Nagapattinam.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS NAGAPATTINAMView All
The New Indian Express Nagapattinam

Chelsea's Mudryk fails drugs test: Club

CHELSEA forward Mykhailo Mudryk has failed a doping test, the Premier League club said on Tuesday, as reports stated the Ukraine international has been provisionally suspended.

time-read
1 min  |
December 18, 2024
Trump says believer in polio vax after warning from Rep senate leader
The New Indian Express Nagapattinam

Trump says believer in polio vax after warning from Rep senate leader

IN a freewheeling press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club, President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday he would consider pardoning embattled New York Mayor Eric Adams, declared the country was \"not going to lose\" the polio vaccine and weighed in on the flurry of drone sightings over New Jersey.

time-read
1 min  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Nagapattinam

Unrest in Samsung again, workers plan 'canteen boycott'

UNREST is brewing among the Samsung India workers in Sriperumbudur again over alleged harassment of 35 workers, who were the face of the month-long protest in September, by supervisors and management of the company.

time-read
1 min  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Nagapattinam

RAHUL AND JADEJA BRING ORDER AS INDIA TAIL WAGS

Poor form and captaincy issues could be two unrelated things as Rohit falls for another low score on day four in Brisbane on Tuesday

time-read
7 mins  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Nagapattinam

RAHUL AND JADEJA BRING ORDER AS INDIA TAIL WAGS

SOMEWHERE in the middle of the first innings, Virat Kohli rushed out of the Gabba dressing room, called up Abhimanyu Easwaran, told him something in earnestness and sent him off the ground.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Nagapattinam

Two World Champions, 31 GMs, Tamil Nadu is the best: Anand

OPEN rooftop car. Scores of people. Cavalcade of cars. It was another maddening but memorable day in the newly-crowned world champ, D Gukesh's, life.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Nagapattinam

Rana wouldn't have got into our playing XI: Gujarat coach Klinger

GUJARAT GIANTS, after finishing last in the back-to-back Women's Premier League points table, went into the mini-auction looking to make a few important changes.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Nagapattinam

Bid in satellite spectrum not feasible: Scindia

A day after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised concerns over the government's decision to administratively allocate satellite spectrum in the country, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday defended the move, saying that satellite spectrum is neither suitable nor practical for auction.

time-read
1 min  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Nagapattinam

ITC Hotel demerger from January 1, 2025

FMCG giant ITC Ltd has fixed January 1, 2025 as the effective date for the demerger of its hotel business after receiving an order from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

time-read
1 min  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Nagapattinam

Sebi may tighten SME listing norms, bring in transparency

THE Securities and Exchange Board's (Sebi) board meeting slated for Wednesday is likely to come up with a slew of measures to clean the SME IPOs space that has, of late, received regulatory attention.

time-read
1 min  |
December 18, 2024