Sporting Witness - Chess City

Chess City

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In 1998, a remote and impoverished region of Russia hosted the Chess Olympiad - one of the biggest events in the sport. The controversial president of Kalmykia, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, spent millions of dollars on the venue, which he named Chess City. British Grandmaster Nigel Short played at the Olympiad.

PICTURE: The plans for Chess City (BBC)

Published on Saturday, 9th April 2016.

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