Chess, simply put, is a war fought on 64 squares. But it doesn’t hurt you. A real war does.
No country in the world at the moment could speak more about the horrors of a war than Ukraine, which has been resisting the Russian invasion for more than five months. Ukraine may be quite some way off from a victory – or peace – but it scored a significant victory here on Tuesday. It won the women’s Chess Olympiad.
It ought to be one of the most heart-warming stories to emerge from international sport of late. India was actually the favourite to win the title, but the country should not grudge these brave women from Ukraine. Anna Ushenina, the Muzychuk sisters Mariya and Anna, Natalkya Buksa and Yuliya Osmak have given their country something to celebrate in these heart-rending times.
