The change of the surroundings indeed made all the difference. The game—played within the four walls, amidst pin-drop silence with players' expression ranging from sombre to harried depending on the situation of the match—changed dramatically with the change in backdrop.
As the Sun went into a slumber behind the Telangkhedi Lake, the area came alive with kids enjoying chess with two masters. The backdrop had everything that's normally a no-no with the serious game of chess. The noise of bikes whizzing past along with constant honking and the clutter created by hundreds of onlookers.
Yet those involved with the game were happy as Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte and his Pune mate and current national women champion WGM Soumya Swaminathan played simultaneously with 20 budding players from the city. In the end, the novel move of taking the game of 64 squares out in the open achieved much more than expected.
The event saw Kunte and Soumya play three-round Blitz match and later engaging 20 city kids in simultaneous matches on the Telangkhedi Lake promenade on Friday. The promotional event organised by the Nagpur Chess Academy in association with other local bodies—Nagpur District Chess Association, Nagpur Taluka Chess Association and the Vidarbha Chess Association—certainly served the purpose.
The two-hour affair left many wondering why not do it more often. Anup Deshmukh, city's first IM, was one of them. "This is just unique," he quipped.
"For Grandmasters in Russia, to play a simultaneous round against kids was a must. After every big tournament, it was customary for them to share their experience with the future generation and they were made to play the simultaneous games," Deshmukh informed, stopping short of advocating a similar rule to be followed in India.
Before Friday, international arbiter Ambrish Joshi thought he has seen it all when it came to chess. But the veteran was pleasantly surprised with the scenes at Telangkhedi Lake.
"This is great for the kids... to play with the GMs and that too in such a lovely, pleasant atmosphere. Seeing the kids play without any tension despite facing a GM is something very pleasing. They are just enjoying the game and entertaining themselves," said Joshi.
All parents of the participating players also gave a thumbs up for this beautiful move. Jayashri Ramesh, mother of eight-year-old R Saishravan, said, "It's an inspiration for our kids," while another parent Snehal Seth added, "It is a change for our kids. Like many outdoor sports this has also brought glamour in chess."
As the Sun went into a slumber behind the Telangkhedi Lake, the area came alive with kids enjoying chess with two masters. The backdrop had everything that's normally a no-no with the serious game of chess. The noise of bikes whizzing past along with constant honking and the clutter created by hundreds of onlookers.
Yet those involved with the game were happy as Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte and his Pune mate and current national women champion WGM Soumya Swaminathan played simultaneously with 20 budding players from the city. In the end, the novel move of taking the game of 64 squares out in the open achieved much more than expected.
The event saw Kunte and Soumya play three-round Blitz match and later engaging 20 city kids in simultaneous matches on the Telangkhedi Lake promenade on Friday. The promotional event organised by the Nagpur Chess Academy in association with other local bodies—Nagpur District Chess Association, Nagpur Taluka Chess Association and the Vidarbha Chess Association—certainly served the purpose.
The two-hour affair left many wondering why not do it more often. Anup Deshmukh, city's first IM, was one of them. "This is just unique," he quipped.
"For Grandmasters in Russia, to play a simultaneous round against kids was a must. After every big tournament, it was customary for them to share their experience with the future generation and they were made to play the simultaneous games," Deshmukh informed, stopping short of advocating a similar rule to be followed in India.
Before Friday, international arbiter Ambrish Joshi thought he has seen it all when it came to chess. But the veteran was pleasantly surprised with the scenes at Telangkhedi Lake.
"This is great for the kids... to play with the GMs and that too in such a lovely, pleasant atmosphere. Seeing the kids play without any tension despite facing a GM is something very pleasing. They are just enjoying the game and entertaining themselves," said Joshi.
All parents of the participating players also gave a thumbs up for this beautiful move. Jayashri Ramesh, mother of eight-year-old R Saishravan, said, "It's an inspiration for our kids," while another parent Snehal Seth added, "It is a change for our kids. Like many outdoor sports this has also brought glamour in chess."
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