After a spurt of popularity following the Fischer-Spassky match in 1972 and Eugene Torre’s exploits as Asia’s first grandmaster, chess had waned somewhat in the country. Lately, Grandmaster sensation Wesley So had revived interest in the game, though he now makes United States his home. The genie is out of the bottle once again as chess surges anew in popularity in the shape of online game, thanks to the lockdown amidst the onset of the coronavirus.
Changing of the guard: Al-Basher Buto training online with Grandmaster Eugene Torre, his coach at the FIDE Online World Cadets and Youth Rapid Championships.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO