Cupid strikes at Chess Olympiad as Indian journo proposes to Colombian player

Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 26

Cupid struck at the ongoing chess olympiad at Batumi, Georgia, as Indian journalist Niklesh Jain proposed to his girlfriend Angela Lopez at the venue in full view of the players.

Angela was pleasantly surprised and immediately accepted it.

Both were dating for the past one-and-a-half year, said various chess portals.

Former world champion Vishwanathan Anand, who is captaining India's chess team, congratulated the couple at the venue.

The video of Jain going down on his knees with an engagement ring in hand has gone viral.

Twiterrati responded with congratulations and one-liners, where one said, "Niklesh got a queen without promoting a pawn"

Chess.com said the proposal was coordinated by her sister, also a member of the Colombian team, and took place on the floor of the main playing hall minutes before the round began.

The engagement comes after a year and a half of dating, after Jain and Lopez met at a tournament in Barcelona. The 17,000-km distance between the two couldn't get in the way, neither could an initial language barrier.