Viswanathan Anand Has The Cheekiest Response To The New Logo Of World Chess Championship That Looks NSFW

The world of chess, in my humble opinion, was and is known as the game of the intellectuals. A game developed and devised to sharpen the mind (and torture the likes of kids like me who never understood anything beyond black and white).

But the staid and steady checkerboard just recently suffered a ‘blow’, if you will, and I’m here to rub it in the face tell my chess-playing friends all about it. For the deets, you know!

So, baat yeh hai ki…World Chess has unveiled a new logo for The World Chess Championship that will take place in London and boy, is it NSFW!

https://twitter.com/KavehAkbar/status/943218978784251904

Yeah. That!

If your quaint eyes missed it, the two-players featured on the logo are seemingly…umm….scissoring while holding the board with one hand. What? What about the other pair of hands? IDK. It’s not 10 pm yet.

Needless to say, Chess aficionados (and others) all over the world were quick to notice the ‘pawnographic’ logo and reactions followed.

1. Oh, can’t argue that!

The logo makes it look like chess is getting in the way.

— J. P. Dancing Bear (@jpdancingbear) December 19, 2017

2. #JustAsking.

https://twitter.com/dagny/status/943247251144695808

3. See?

Bit too pawnographic for my tastes.

— Jen (@jenelaina) December 20, 2017

4. Popular opinion of the day!

Borderline pawnagraphic. https://t.co/rWARabFfm0

— ~ (@daniel_barker) December 19, 2017

5. Damn right, it is puttin’

Putting the 'mate' into checkmate

— Scott Buszard (@scottbuszard) December 20, 2017

7. Ummmmm…

https://twitter.com/stv_pelletier/status/943272580861046786

8. You’re not the only one, Steven.

If they would've showed me this brochure in high school, I would've fought a bear to join chess club. https://t.co/6MmLY8CCoP

— Steven Spohn (@stevenspohn) December 19, 2017

9. Get it? Get it?!

Didn't you know, chess is a positional game. 😛

— Abhishek k. Anshu. (@brillabhi) December 20, 2017

10. *coughs innocently*

Well, if any game is about finding new and pleasurable positions, chess would be it.

World Chess Championship 'Kama Sutra' Logo Goes Viral – https://t.co/PsTFzxAnKM https://t.co/5Y2Nhzq7sU

— Jamaal S. Abdul-Alim (@dcwriter360) December 21, 2017

11. You’re a true Indian, Jigar!

2018 World Chess Championship logo. The tournament might have to be played only between 10 pm to 6 am. 😜 pic.twitter.com/fUWemBOzxY

— jigar mehta (@jigsactin) December 20, 2017

But it was not all jokes and jest. Not everyone is happy and thrilled about the art-work. Sample this:

Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar raise pertinent questions about if the visuals are children-friendly! 

2018 World Championship Logo – Appropriate to promote to kids? @FIDE_chess @WOMChess @EuropeEchecs @chessdom @MarkTWIC @USChess pic.twitter.com/rKw6KbHgFU

— Susan Polgar: “Win with grace, lose with dignity!” (@SusanPolgar) December 19, 2017

More than 50% of the world chess playing population are kids. They are also the biggest purchasing block by a HUGE margin, many times more than adults. Do you think that logo can be marketable in schools?

— Susan Polgar: “Win with grace, lose with dignity!” (@SusanPolgar) December 19, 2017

In fact, she has even urged, the World Chess to scrap the logo. 

I strongly urge @theworldchess @FIDE_chess to scrap these logos and come up with something else which is classy, attractive, clever, marketable and most importantly something the entire global chess community can be proud of! @EuropeEchecs @chessdom @chesscom @chess24com pic.twitter.com/UESY7RuEKp

— Susan Polgar: “Win with grace, lose with dignity!” (@SusanPolgar) December 20, 2017

While that is that, here on the home front, five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand was asked about his opinion and he told ESPN, 

“Finally, a position where DeepMind will have to do more than just calculations. If you’re in this position you can definitely count yourself off Santa’s good list!

I’m hoping this doesn’t end up pushing us into late night TV.”

Hell, he even took to Twitter and said what everyone was thinking. 

World Championship logo puts chess in 'odd position' https://t.co/jzxgFarcgF

— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) December 20, 2017

Meanwhile, the makers and organisers believe that the ‘Key visual for the 2018 World Chess Championship is controversial and trendy, just like the host city’ and more. NSFW or not, the logo has surely raised eyebrows everywhere.

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