The chess players continue to eat pea soup in Wijk aan Zee, as they did in 1938 at the first edition of the Roland Garros chess tournament. Now in its 86th year, the atmosphere is impressive and very stimulating: around 2,000 participants play in absolute silence and fill hotels and restaurants for two weeks every January. But it hides a scary reality, supported by several scientific studies cited by the National Institute for Health and the Environment of the Netherlands: the risk of cancer reduces life expectancy in the region by an average of 7.5 months due to pollution emanating from the chimneys Tata Steel Factory, current sponsor of the chess festival.
Everything indicates that the majority of the local population accepts this risk: apart from the comments of the locals, it is very telling that the protest rally called by Dutch environmental groups for this Saturday found almost no support among the residents of the region. A dozen activists blocked the entrance road to Wijk aan Zee in a very organized and friendly manner: each for three minutes, explained the meaning of their action to the stopped drivers over a megaphone and apologized. Nothing else.
Meanwhile, like every year at this time, the walk through the De Moriaan sports center was a great pleasure for those who are convinced that Homo Sapiens continues to live up to its name. About 350 people (more than 95% are men, as has always happened in chess, as incredible as it may seem) took part in the various tournaments: from the fourteen stars of the Masters tournament to small competitions for amateurs everyone age. And many other spectators. Everyone was dead quiet, even as they approached the bar to refuel their brains, usually in the form of coffee or traditional pea soup. This is very nutritious and has a nice story: During the Second World War and the post-war period, players made the journey home from Wijk aan Zee, with no guarantee of finding food during the journey; So their hosts gave them pea soup immediately before they left.
The Tata steelworks in Wijk aan Zee this SundayL.G.
This North Sea town of around 2,000 residents (equivalent to the number of chess players arriving every January) is very pleasant in summer because of its huge beach, the range of dune walks and good restaurants. But in the winter it's more of an upscale dormitory town, and so the chess festival is as nutritious a shot in the arm for the local economy as it is pea soup for the players.
Tata Steel is an Indian company. Its vice president for Europe, the Dutchman Henrik Adam, could not escape the big problem in his speech at the inauguration ceremony on Friday: “Tata Steel wants to be a green, clean and sustainable company, and we are investing in it,” he insisted. repeated. It is unclear, according to several Dutch journalists interviewed, how much Tata is investing in this matter and, above all, how many years will pass before modern steel production technologies solve or alleviate the problem.
There is a general belief in the Dutch chess community that the tournament is guaranteed to continue for many years to come and that it will reach its hundredth edition in 2038. Not so much because of the excellent image that Tata projects, nor because chess is such a popular mass sport in India these days – and quite popular in the Netherlands – but because it forces the residents of Wijk aan Zee and surrounding areas to do so To take risks, to live less but better.
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