For the lads the tropics is a great place to laze around on the beach whilst trying to pull scantily-clad local girls but for us real men its an ideal place to turn our backs on society and play some underwater chess instead. In the linked video, two machismo IM’s turn up, swap their thick goggles for scuba masks and go to war in the aqua waters of Curacao, much to the delight of some bemused tourists.
The footage, however, contains scenes which will cause uproar amongst hardcore chess purists. There’s so many fish in the water that it’s hard to follow the action, and a stingray went unpunished by the arbiter for swimming over the board whilst the players were deep in concentration. Obviously, it should have received a verbal warning at least. It’s hardly surprising that no one has played underwater since the video was made in 2008 given the etiquette of the marine life in it and the double-standards employed by the officials. Yet again, its one rule for marooned International Masters and another for the occasional passing stingray….when is FIDE going to get its act together?
NB Chess fans suffering with high-blood pressure should seek medical advice from a doctor before clicking on the link below. Discretionary viewing advised.
McCreadyandChess 
Leave a Reply