Eindhoven now has its Outdoor Chess Table. The official opening took place on the Groenewoudsweg in Eindhoven on the afternoon of 23rd September.
Coenraad Spaans, Tata Steel Netherlands, handed the chess pieces to Stijn Steenbakkers, City Councillor for the economy, Brainport, innovation, education and sports, Municipality of Eindhoven.
The Tata Steel Chess Tournament has a special connection with the city of Eindhoven. The two best chess players in the world are Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Capuana. They played at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in the Philips Stadium in January 2020. Every year, the grandmasters play one or more rounds at an external location. The tournament takes place annually in Wijk aan Zee. Schools and the regional business people usually attend the tournament in Eindhoven.
Chess is indeed an unifying factor that brings people together. There’re many young chess talents in Eindhoven. It has a positive effect on the development of the young minds. The just opened Outdoor Chess Table is a beautiful symbol of the solidarity between the tournament and the city of Eindhoven. The municipality also wants to connect mind sports and physical sports.
Stijn Steenbakkers emphasized the importance of this combination: “It can be mutually reinforcing. It is beautiful to put that in public space, so that children can play chess freely here, can learn it easily, in the meantime kick a ball and that the combination is easily made.’’
The opening of the Outdoor Chess Table was also part of the NOC*NSF National Sports Week 2020. On this occasion, the children of primary school Het Palet and local chess clubs got a chess clinic, basketball clinic and MasterMind was played live.
Source: Eindhoven Sport
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