Being a pawn at the Olympic Museum

The chess masters will find plenty of inspiration at the Olympic Museum (picture: swiss-image) swissinfo.ch

The world's eight youngest chess masters will be playing in the Young Masters Chess Tournament at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne from May 21 to 27.

Chess fans and spectators will be able to follow the games and hear commentary broadcast over headphones, or follow the event on the Internet.

The one-week competition also includes an Open Masters Tournament, as well as a Public Tournament. Last year’s event attracted more than 200 competitors from around the world.

The Olympic Museum is a fitting location for the competition, even if chess is not an Olympic sport. It showcases the history of the Olympic movement and games through permanent and temporary exhibitions.

There are sections dedicated to the founder of the modern games, Pierre de Coubertin, and the athletes whose Olympic feats brought them eternal glory.

The museum also depicts how sport has developed since the first modern games were held in Athens in 1896.

The museum is currently undergoing expansion and new areas will be open to the public as of June 23. They will provide topical insight into such themes as media exposure, athletes and science and “paralympics”.

swissinfo