And now for a taste of chess

A chess board cake is wowing the people of Madurai and reminding them of the ongoing Chess Olympiad

As a tribute to the world’s biggest team chess championship that is underway in Mamallapuram, the Temple City group of Hotels in Madurai has created a chess board cake complete with 64 black-and-white squares and 32 chess pieces.

eighing three kilograms in two samples of the Blackforest chess cake were made and displayed on August 1 at the Temple City Bakes & Café opposite Mattuthavani bus stand and Melur Road branch. The cakes are priced at ₹ 4,800 each.

“The idea is to convey our best wishes to all the participants from 187 countries who are fighting it out in the tournament and also encourage more people to follow and play the game,” says Lakshmana Kumar, the group’s MD.

Assembling the cake required precision, he says, as the chess pieces had to be crafted to perfection in dark and white chocolate, he adds. The chef can bake the cake in different flavours depending on the customer’s choice but the order size has to be a minimum of two kilograms for the chess cake to look real, he adds.

The novel idea has attracted customers and the staff is gearing up for a wave of orders. “We are expecting chess lovers in the city celebrating their birthdays or marriage anniversaries this month or even later, to order the chess cake,” says Kumar.

When Harithra P, on her way to Chennai with her parents to watch the mega chess event, entered the Mattuthavani Temple City bakery for a snack, she was thrilled to see the chessboard cake. “It looks so real and you wonder whether you would like to play on or savour the chessboard,” exclaims the 16-year-old chess fan.

The Temple City has been creative with its menu in the past. When COVID-19 struck, it introduced mask-shaped parottas to remind people of the importance of wearing a mask and also bondas that were shaped like the virus with spikes.