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World Chess’ New Logo Gets Labelled As Pawnography And Kama Su**a

It was only a matter of time before the internet found yet another logo to mock. The game of chess is more of a mental battle than a physical contest. However, going by the new logo of the World Chess Championship it seems like quite the opposite.

World Chess has come up with a new logo which we all may not necessarily like but one thing is sure that it has kept the whole Internet hooked to it. The new logo of World Chess is not something which we are used to seeing but showing a completely different or say a bold representation of the game of mind.

The unveiling of a logo for a big sporting contest is meant to be a grand occasion that builds up a flurry of excitement. Yet for the next World Chess Championship, the organizers may have gone a bit too far in trying to set pulses racing.

When their “trendy” new logo was revealed for next year’s flagship event in London it was met with a rather passionate response among grandmasters. The spirited 2018 World Chess Championship emblem by Moscow-based design firm Shuka.

The image which depicts two chequered bodies interweaved around a chess board has not only left Grandmasters in a fix but also given fans cause for bewilderment.

Soon, it has been labeled as ‘borderline pawnographic’ and ‘Tantric Chess’ that may have come straight from Kamasutra. It is, World Chess say, unashamedly sexual. It’s been dubbed “#ChessIsSexy,” “Kardashian sexy chess”.

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The British Grandmaster Nigel Short, a long-time critic of the game’s governing body Fide, said the organizers were “perhaps suggesting that they are giving the chess world a good f——.” And Grandmaster Susan Polgar, the pioneer of women’s chess, questioned whether the racy image was appropriate for children.

However, world chess states that the new logo is controversial and trendy, just like the host city, London. However, the Twitter users have different reactions to the new logo. A section of Twitterati is loving it and others are not.

Twitter Reactions:

Shuka’s art director and founder Ivan Vasin say he’s pleased that the emblem is helping draw a spotlight to the notoriously nerdy sport. “We are happy that there is the reaction,” Vasin tells Quartz. He explains that the design is meant to champion humans in a sport that’s increasingly tethered to bots and computers.