“Even the grandmasters need a holiday. Preferably before facing each other,” reads a board at Goa’s Resort Rio, a five-star hotel in the tony village of Arpora that will host the FIDE World Cup, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the sport. When the action starts from Saturday in a state that has become India’s vacation capital, ideas like ‘holiday’ and ‘relaxation’ will be a luxury for the players in attendance — one that they cannot afford with three spots for Candidates on the line and a brutal path to the title in front of anyone who fancies making it to the semi-finals.

The players are not the only ones working tirelessly. A day before the FIDE World Cup kicks off in earnest, a small battalion of about 200 people is working tirelessly at the Resort Rio Convention Centre. For

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