Detainees of PI Veenhuizen representing the Netherlands during international chess tournament
Several detainees of PI Veenhuizen regularly play a game of chess in the courtyard of the prison. Four inmates did this so well that they took part in the second edition of the International Detainee Chess Championship on Thursday.
It was an online (fast) chess tournament, organized by the international chess federation FIDE. 85 teams of detainees from nearly 50 countries from around the world took part in the tournament.
Play on four boards
The Dutch chess team with penultimate in a group England, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Jersey (UK), Slovenia and Zimbabwe. An online game of blitz chess was played against each team on four boards. The numbers one and two of each group will qualify for the final round on Friday 14 October.
An attentive spectator at the chess tournament within the prison walls was Dharma Tjiam, director of the Royal Dutch Chess Federation (KNSB). ‘We try to interest as many people as possible in the beautiful sport of chess. Age, background of do not matter. Anyone around the world can learn to play chess. When last year the request came from the international chess federation FIDE to organize an online chess tournament for inmates, I immediately contacted the prison system. Last year was the first tournament and PI Lelystad participated, this time PI Veenhuizen.’