World chess champion Vishwanathan Anand was present on the occasion
December 24 holds a special place in Viswanathan Anands life he won his first World championship on this day in 2000 beating Alexi Shirov in Tehran.
On Saturday, the chess champion also anchored Ahmedabad to a new Guinness record: the highest number of chess players congregated to play the game here. A smiling Anand who rang the bell to start the proceedings, and was in the thick of things all through the 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 to break Mexicos 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 now holds the new record.
“I am happy that his dream has become a reality today, with Gujarat holding a historic event bringing laurels to the state as well as the country,” Anand was quoted by Indian Express.
Mexico City’s record shattered with 20,483 playing chess simultaneously under one roof
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.
