Record shattered

WELL PLAYED: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand wave during the Swarnim Chess Mahotsav 2010 in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Mexico City's record shattered with 20,483 playing chess simultaneously under one roof
AHMEDABAD, December 25, 2010
Manas Dasgupta

Gujarat, through Ahmedabad, has staked its claim to find a place in the Guinness Book of World Records by assembling 20,483 players to play chess simultaneously on one platform.

The “Swarnim Chess Mahotsav” was organised here on Friday by the Department of Sports, Youth, & Cultural activities and the Gujarat Chess Association as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the State. Besides Chief Minister Narendra Modi, world chess champion Vishwanathan Anand was present on the occasion, and as a token, he played simultaneously with 64 participants at the Mahotsava. An official representative of the Guinness Book was present to ensure that the ceremony conformed to the rules and regulations for records.

A spokesman of the State government claimed that Ahmedabad had broken the record set in current Guinness record-holder Mexico City when, on October 21, 2006, 13,446 players played chess simultaneously. The former world champion, Anatoly Karpov, was present in the record chess ceremony at Mexico City.

Preparations for the performance have been in progress since June, when chess competitions were organised in some 8,000 schools and over 900 colleges in the State. Over 94,200 students had registered for participating in the performance, of whom 20,480 were selected, and three more added on the spot. About 1,000 select masters played simultaneously with over 20,000 players. Guinness Book adjudicator Tarika Vara announced the new record in the name of Gujarat for the highest number of participants in a game of chess under one roof.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com

20,480 chess players

20480 chess players create Guinness record
Ajit Bezbaruah, TNN, Dec 25, 2010, 04.25am IST

AHMEDABAD: December 24 holds a special place in Viswanathan Anand's life - he had won his first world championship on this day in 2000 beating Alexi Shirov in Tehran.

On Friday, the chess champion also anchored Ahmedabad to a new Guinness record - where the highest number of chess players congregated to play the game.

A smiling Anand who rang the bell to start the proceedings, and was in the thick of things all through the mega event, was visibly thrilled to see Ahmedabad create the new record. In all 20,480 players got together to play chess against 1,024 masters and break Mexico's existing record of 13,446 players created in 2006.

There was a thunderous roar of approval from the crowd when Guinness adjudicator Tarika Wala announced that Ahmedabad holds the new record. She also applauded the fact that there were 140 blind players in the line-up.

"One can't imagine how incredibly proud I am today. I have never been involved in something so big and I am thrilled to be part of this event today. This event will be as close to my heart as all my world championship titles. It is a very important day in my life," said Anand. Chief minister Narendra Modi, who helped facilitate the world record-breaking event, thanked all the participants.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

All set to break Guinness record in chess

Ahmedabad all set to break Guinness record in chess
Ajit Bezbaruah, TNN,
Dec 24, 2010, 05.07am IST

AHMEDABAD: From atop, the GMDC ground resembles one mammoth chess board in black and white. And fittingly so, given that Ahmedabad is all set to break a mammoth world record on Friday.

As many as 20,000 people and 1,200 masters will gather at the ground in the afternoon for a game of chess. In the process, they will break Mexico's Guinness world record of the largest number of people playing the game together at the same time. El Zocalo, Mexico City's central square, had set the record when 13,446 players had assembled to play chess on October 21, 2006. Former world champion Anatoly Karpov was the guest of honour in Mexico while Ahmedabad will have current world champion Viswanathan Anand.

After his first world championship title in 2000, Anand had nurtured a desire to make India the epicentre of chess. And, for the past 10 years, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi was looking for a way to bring the game into the collective consciousness of Gujaratis. The record-breaking event is the coming together of these two aspirations with the Gujarat State Chess Association, NIIT and the Gujarat government working for it for 10 months. A lady adjudicator from Guinness Book arrived in the city from London on Thursday. "We can't divulge the name of the adjudicator now but yes, she will ensure that everything is in place for the record," said one of the organisers.

Friday will see 1,000 masters play simultaneously against 20,000 participants. Each master will take on 20 players. Another 200 masters will be on stand by. The ground has been divided into 64 squares with 320 participants in one square. "We have never attempted anything on this scale, which makes it unique and will be a very important feat both for Gujarat and India," Anand had said in an interview to TOI in the build-up to the event. "This is only the beginning of a chess revolution," he had said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com