While this is not the first time that a “glass atrium” is used in an elite tournament (the debut was May in Sofia), the unique part is that it is located outdoor at the middle of one the main squares in a major city.
Here are some first impressions by the players about playing on the street in a “glass-atrium”:
Carlsen, Ivanchuk and Topalov said that they had no problems with it, although there could be some minor improvements.
Aronian did not like it.
Anand complained about the unpleasant smell (perhaps fresh paint), but he hopes that it will improve by tomorrow.
In the first few minutes, there was a complaint by Anand and (I believe) Radjabov about the noise level of the live commentary. But the problem was resolved quickly by lowering the volume on the microphone.
The participants of the 2008 M-TEL event in Sofia – Aronian, Ivanchuk, Radjabov and Topalov played in the glass atrium before. The only difference is this is located outdoor.
I think it’s cool for them to play outdoor.
Before the tournament it was said that players won’t see the outside world. But over a webcam you could clearly see the people outside of glass.
What a great coverage you provide S. Polgar!
Thank you.
The idea of playing behind glass walls is not so new (Danailov obviously wants to get credit for this idea).
I remember David Levy playing a game against Chess4.6 in 1980 on TV where he was sitting in a separate room with a glass wall.
The Match Kasparov-Anand 1995 in the WTC was also played in a separate room behind glass.
And finally a (not closed) glass wall was used in the Match Kramnik-Topalov in Elista 2006.
IMO saying “this idea was first used in Sofia 2008” is misleading. Just the technology/sophistication has improved.
What’s really new is the idea of playing outdoors, which I think is really great.
The glass keeps the smell of curry and feaces inside and away from the rest of the world. Good call!
BTW, the commentary is what is helping promote the tournament and adds to the excitement of the long wait between moves. Vishy needs to calm down.
I prefer Danailov live in a glass box.
There’s that bottle of orange juice that Magnus Carlsen brings with him everywhere. I wonder if he actually drinks that stuff or if it’s just a sponsor.