Israeli breaks Iranian`s multi-player chess record

Iran : An Israeli grandmaster broke an Iranian`s world record on Friday for simultaneous chess games, beating 454 out of 523 opponents in a packed city plaza.

Alik Gershon, 30, took the Guinness crown following almost 20 straight hours spent pacing between game tables lined across Tel Aviv`s Yitzhak Rabin Square. His 86 percent win rate outstripped former record-holder Morteza Mahjoob of Iran, who last year bested 397 out of 500 chess players taken on at once in Tehran. "Hopefully all our wars will be on the chessboard," Gershon told Reuters, alluding to hostility between Israel and Iran. Jack Brockbank, the on-site adjudicator for Guinness World Records, confirmed Gershon`s record and predicted a new chess challenge from the Iranians. "It`s quite likely because of all the coverage this event has received," he said. Bureau Report