Chess fever grips Chennai; hundreds throng match venue

Chennai: It was a dream come true for several chess fans, who watched their icon Viswanathan Anand in action against challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the World Chess Championship which began here on Saturday.

Hundreds of passionate sports followers, including many children, thronged the Hyatt Regency hotel, the venue of the world championship, on the arterial Anna Salai to watch the first of the 12 matches. Chess fans, parents, youth, school students kept thronging the hotel`s sprawling campus and watched the keenly-contested 16 moves from the lobby. The venue was more of a `chess stadia` than a star hotel, as the spirit of the indoor game was very much in air.