The Chess World, obsessed with trivia such as a tournament of candidates, is in danger of missing the real news: The first public chess table has been set up in the Serbian city of Smederevo!

That’s right: a city that has a chess tradition for as long as I can remember, a city that had a chess club with its own badge, a city that still has an international master (who, however, no longer plays actively) finally got a chess table in the city center, where two retirees can clash to measure their strength… If they are not killed by heat, since it is set in the open sun, without any shade.

But it’s okay, there will be cloudy days… they will be able to play just before rain or snow. Blitz with the time control until the first shower or the first severe frostbite? Cool stuff, how no one had thought of that before!

So, we have to praise this move of the city authorities, regardless of the fact that there is only one board on the table, although there is enough space for two. And despite the fact that the master who made the board never played chess and has no idea that A1 square must be black…

No big deal. Chess fans carry their chess mats or boards with them anyway. They will cover this blunder. It is important that there is finally a place to play outdoor chess in the city. And that the money was laundered. Hygiene is very important during a ‘pandemic’.

And it is even more important that Smederevo pensioners and the homeless now have a place to prepare for the Hive chess tournaments:

And now, where are we going to set up the next chess table?