Chennai Grand Masters: Playing hall unaffected despite fire issue, players back at venue
An electrical issue on the ninth floor of Hyatt Regency led to a fire breakout around midnight, filling the hotel with smoke and making breathing difficult for the people in it. Responding to the grim situation, the tournament organisers shifted those associated with the event to a nearby hotel and postponed the start by a day.
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Since the players, staff and officials were housed well below the ninth floor, they were not severely affected by the incident.
Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan, a member of the tournament's organising committee, said that the contingent had to be immediately moved to another hotel for a one-night accommodation, considering the safety of the members.
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'We were told that there was an electrical fire on one of the top floors. It was a fairly minor incident. As a precautionary measure, the guests were evacuated from the hotel,' Srinath told TOI. 'The players were shifted to Hotel Pullman around midnight and returned to Hyatt in the morning,' said Srinath, adding that the playing hall at Hyatt is unaffected.
Leon Mendonca, who will feature in the challengers category of the 20-player tournament, admitted that he would not have been in a position to play in the first round if the tournament had gone as per schedule. 'The organisers decided to postpone the event and cancel the rest day, which is a very good decision. I would not have been comfortable playing right after the incident,' said the 19-year-old GM.
Local hope B Adhiban, another player from the challengers section, remarked that the players were 'never in any sort of trouble'.
'I had prior experience and that is why I did not take it seriously. Something similar happened to me during the Grand Swiss event a few years ago,' said GM Adhiban, a member of two Olympiad bronze-winning India teams.
Narrating the experience, Adhiban said: 'I kept my mobile on flight mode and slept off. The hotel staff had tried to contact me. When I woke up to use the restroom, I realised that one of the lights in my room was switched on. When I tried to switch it off, I could not, so I knew that something was off. I opened the door and there was smoke all around. A hotel employee then came to my room and asked me to evacuate.'
The tournament will begin on Thursday and run every day until August 15. The organisers had to remove the only rest day – earlier slotted for August 11 – to make up for lost time.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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