Those squares

The Chennai Circle Office of the Canara Bank was earlier a rather dour building; it was nothing spectacular to look at, nor was it an eyesore. In some ways, it was presenting itself as quiet, efficient, businesslike - much like what one could expect a public sector bank to be. 

I cannot remember when these colours on its facade came up. The bank had undergone a change of identity many years ago - in 2007. Its earlier logo was a hand holding a flower, which was changed to two interlocked triangles. What that is meant to signify is hazy at the moment, but the triangles were coloured yellow and blue. There was some explanation for what the colours indicated, too, but that is beyond me now. 

These days the building on Anna Salai is quite distinctive in the evenings. Once the lights are up, you can't miss the bank with its yellow / blue lights. While I can't remember when this happened, I know it has been this way for quite a few months now. But it was only today, as I passed this that I thought: wait a minute, maybe this was also done for the Chess Olympiad? And sure enough, the building has the 8x8 grid of a chessboard!

Your move

It has been nearly a year since the Russia-Ukraine war began. Chennai was affected by that in many ways, especially with medical students from the city having to return early on, with the changes in fuel prices affecting everyone across the world and with re-routing of air and sea routes affecting supply chains marginally. 

One of the positive fallouts was the shift of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad. Originally scheduled to be held in Moscow (it had been moved there from Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia), it became untenable in the wake of the conflict. Chennai stepped up to pitch for hosting rights, and won, thanks in part to its sustained legacy of chess champions. 

In the run-up to the event, many parts of the city went 'colourless' - rather, they just went bi-colour. People were worried that this chessboard pattern on bridges (and some roads) would distract drivers and cause accidents. Thankfully, it seems to have got people to concentrate better on their moves!

 

The land of the King

Of course India claims the game for its own, because it has evolved from the ancient game of chaturang or shatranj, both of which even sound similar to 'chess', as the game is known now. Chaturang ('four arms' or 'four divisions') is reputedly the more ancient game, known so because it simulates the four sections of the armies of yore - elephants, chariots, cavalry and infantry. During the 6th and 7th centuries, chaturang spread to Persia, where it became more formalised. Some of the common terms used today were adapted from the Persian descriptions (e.g., 'Checkmate', being derived from 'Shah mat', meaning 'the king is dead'), as the game spread from Persia to Europe, where the rules of modern game were crafted.

Tamil Nadu, and Chennai, can lay claim to having fostered India's current high profile in the world of chess. Though chess in India is most commonly associated with Viswanathan Anand (read his piece in 'Time'), India's first Grandmaster, the game's popularity was earlier nurtured by Manuel Aaron, the first ever International Master from India, and the first chess player to be honoured with the Arjuna Award for Chess. Aaron moved to Tamil Nadu from Burma (then a British colony), where he had most probably leant his basics; Anand whetted his appetitie for chess as a seven-year old in the Philippines. Thanks to Aaron's efforts and Anand's fame, Tamil Nadu has been a force in the national chess scene - and the Tamil Nadu State Chess Association has several tournaments conducted under its banner throughout the year - almost one every fortnight, on an average.

At this tournament over the weekend - the Chennai district selection tournament - there were only 3 categories: under-7, under-11 and the senior open. There were about a 150 children taking part in the under-7 & -11 categories put together - and there were several children who were in their early teens, or even less, taking on the seniors in the open category. Talk about catching them young!