Commonwealth Chess Championship 2006
set to enter the Guinness Book of World Records!
By Praful Zaveri
The Commonwealth Chess Championship 2006 is scheduled to be held at Mumbai,
India from 19th to 29th November 2006
When we think of some exquisite locations for the important chess tournaments
held so far, the 1995 World Chess Championship match between Kasparov and Anand
immediately comes to mind. The event was held in the "Observation Deck"
of the World Trade Center, New York – the 107th Floor! Wow! it must have
been a stunning view over the Manhattan Island from the that rarified and now
tragically lost
venue!
Well, a similarly spectacula setting awaits the participants of the Commonwealth
Chess Championship 2006. The event is slated to be held in the 120-foot Glass
Pyramid of Eskay Resorts, which is in fact the Asia's largest man-made glass
pyramid.

The Eskay Resorts – the Official Host of the Commonwealth Chess Championship
2006 – is situated in Borivali, the northernmost suburb of Mumbai. The
club, built on seven acres of land, has everything in sports. From the chess
player's point of view, the Pyramid generates energy to rejuvenate the mind,
body and spirit!
Before giving the tournament details, I would like to give the readers a brief
of Mumbai. The city – formerly known as Bombay – is the financial
capital of India. It is basically a long narrow island, almost a peninsula,
which goes southwards into the Arabian Sea. This mega city has a population
of over 13 million.

The city can be basically divided into four-parts: South Mumbai
– 'The Gateway of India' (Colaba, CST, Fort, Churchgate, Nariman
Point etc.);Central Mumbai – Dadar, Mumbai Central; the
Western suburbs – from Bandra to the northernmost suburbs
Borivali and Dahisar; and the Eastern Suburbs –
from Kurla, to Mulund. There is also the Navi Mumbai (navi means new),
which has been developed across Thane Creek on the mainland.

A closeup of the 120-foot glass pyramid of Eskay Resorts
To take care of the transportation needs of the teeming poulation, Mumbai
has one of the most efficient and reliable (though crowded!) public transport
network. For a shorter distance one can travel by Autorickshaws (three-wheelers),
taxis or the highly efficient buses of the 'BEST' Network. For longer distance
it is advisable to use Mumbai Local Trains, which transports nearly five million
people every day. You can rightly term Mumbai as the city, which never sleeps.
It is a city with an indomitable spirit, which keeps us moving on with life.
More about my Borivali. This northernmost suburb of Mumbai is located at a
distance of 40 km from Mumbai City. For first-time tourists and visitors, who
have just visualized Mumbai as a concrete jungle, with sky-hugging buildings
and teeming millions, Borivali comes as something of a shock, with its houses
and lush green 'Sanjay Gandhi National Park', more popularly known as 'Borivali
National Park'.

A night view of the spectacular glass pyramid, the largest in Asia
This National Park, which is a green lung for the city, is the only national
park in the world which is situated so close to an urban inhabitation. It is
spread over an area of 103 sq. km, is rich in forest flora and fauna. Here
you can find long stretches of trees and the largest species of birds, herbivores
like cheetah, sambar and barking deer, predator mammals like leopards and panthers,
jackals, hyena, species of snakes and reptiles, including the huge Indian rock
python and over 50 varieties of butterflies. The best time to visit the park
from November to February (the tournament date!), when the weather is cool.
Apart from the National Park, the other attraction of Borivali is is the Kanheri
Caves, which are also located well within the park area. These caves dates
back from the 1st century BC to the 9th century AD, indicating a rather well
organized Buddhist establishment of monks, who dwelled on the ancient trade
route connecting a number of trade centers and Indian ports. Most of these
109 Buddhist caves have been made by just using chisel and hammer on the volcanic
rocks. For those who want to enjoy beach and sun, the Gorai Beach is just two
kilometers from the venue.
The Commonwealth Championship
Now a focus on the event: You would be wondering as to what has a chess event
go to do with the Guinness
Book of World Records. Well, the Commonwealth Chess Championship is set
to enter the Guinness Book for being hosted at the same place (Mumbai, India)
for the third consecutive time. Prior to this edition, the event was held in
April 2003 and January 2004. The Guinness team would be visiting the tournament
to judge the veracity of the record. Incidentally, the event has already found
its way to the Limca
Book of Indian Records 2005.

The entrance to the main lobby

The "card room" where the main event will be staged

Naturally the tables will be different and adapted for chess games

The tournament hall no. 2
The Commonwealth Chess Association is spearheaded by GM Nigel Short as its
President and Mr. Ravindra Dongre as its Deputy President. The association
has the membership of 54 countries under the umbrella of Commonwealth countries,
with nearly 20 active countries like UK, Australia, Canada, Scotland, South
Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, India, etc. According to
Mr. Dongre, GM Nigel Short has toured extensively to attract participation
of more number of countries and as also to make the game more popular. The
2007 edition of this event would be hosted by South Africa.

Mr. D.V. Sunder, the Secretary of the All India Chess Federation, with
Mr. Ravindra Dongre, Deputy President of Commonwealth Chess Association, at
the venue.

Checking the venue details

The pool area of the Eskay Resorts

The gym for the health conscious
With a countdown of two weeks from now, 15 GMs, (including GM Nigel Short!),
5 WGMs and 25 IMs, from nearly 15 countries have already confirmed their
participation in this event. In all, around 150 players are expected to participate
in this event.
So, on behalf of the Venus Chess Academy, Mumbai, I take pleasure in inviting
players from the Commonwealth group of countries to participate in the Commonwealth
Chess Championship 2006 and thereby become a part of the event that is all
set to enter the Guinness Book of World Records!

The sparkling 'Amphitheatre' of the Eskay Resorts at night
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