Israel and Bhutan to go head-to-head in post-normalization chess match

• Published date: 17 January 2021
• Date: 17 January 2021
• Author: JERUSALEM POST STAFF

Although Bhutan lies nestled far away in the Himalayas, its deeply-founded and well-preserved culture will be reflected throughout the day's competition as the event will have live commentary and interactive footage that will help people understand the cultures in both countries, allowing the games to reflect the recent normalization between the two states.

Between 200 and 250 players are expected to participate in the event, which will be broadcast live on the Twitch streaming platform.

Chess4Solidarity has held 12 international chess events with multiple countries, including Morocco and Sudan which recently signed normalization deals with Israel, and has seen over 2,500 participants. Now, Bhutan is joining the list of countries with normalized relations with Israel that will now face off against Israeli players in the game of chess.

Chile, Ecuador, Finland, New Zealand and Spain are just a few of the numerous countries which Chess4Solidarity has collaborated with in the past.

The event is being held in coordination with the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi, which has invested a lot of effort to strengthen Israeli and Bhutanese relations. This unique event will be supported by the Lawfare Project, an organization...