The Mind Sports Olympiad finishes this weekend with a special event on Bank Holiday Monday, Chess Diving, or Diving Chess as it is now called.
Tony Corfe
Okay, maybe we’ll pass on that one, but there are plenty of games that don’t require getting wet, including chess and Chinese chess. Regular chess hasn’t been that popular this year, but the Chinese version is not exactly unknown either in this country or at the MSO, as will be seen from the photograph below.
Chinese chess at MSO12, a surprisingly popular game.
Below is a photograph of two regular chess players: Ankush Khandelwal and Tony Niccoli. They may look young but they are both veterans; Ankush played at the Manchester events, and Tony’s pedigree goes back even further. This photograph was taken during one of the poker tournaments at the 2000 event which was held at London’s Alexandra Palace. (Surely he isn’t wearing the same shirt?)
Below is Ankush again, this time with Paco Garcia De La Banda, the 2010 Pentamind winner; they are playing Oware, believed to be the oldest game in the world.
Check out the MSO website for details of remaining events.
[The above article was first published August 24, 2012.]
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Ankush Khandelwal and Tony Niccoli, two regulars on the chess circuit,
and in spite of their youth, veteran MSO contestants.
Ankush Khandelwal and Paco Garcia De La Banda playing oware.