On an unremarkably balmy afternoon in the city of joy, Kolkata - known for its intellectual prowess, languid charm, and an undying obsession for tea and fish, a not-so quotidian event was brewing at the Lake Town Club, and it had nothing to do with Darjeeling’s finest Assam Tea. No, this wasn't about yet another quintessential Bengali Adda filled with heated Chatterjee vs. Mukherjee debates, but the crème de la crème of India's chess world, aka our homegrown 'Boys in Blue', who optimistically believe that it's just a matter of time before the world begins to address chess as 'the gentleman's cricket'. The participants have congregated to engage in a friendly duel of whit and skills accompanied by Kolkata's first love - Chai, of course. In an ominous hush that could put a parliamentary debate to shame, the Boys in Blue took their seats, scrutinizing the battlefield that lay in front of them: a checkered board. The palpable tension was occasionally sliced through with the soothing clink of ceramic china as cups brimming with the city’s beloved chai got refilled, and the occasional triumphant yell of "checkmate". Evidently, this wasn't just another game of chess, but a full-blown spectacle that bore the weight of our collective admiration for khadi kurtas, the Indian sevens football team, and Rabindrasangeet. This was Kolkata's own version of circadian reality TV - unscripted, boundary-pushing, and endlessly fascinating to watch. The Boys in Blue, dapper in their finely starched and impeccably pressed blue kurtas, bore stoic expressions that would have made Keats applaud the still unravished bride of quietness. And though we were sorely tempted to say "may the best man win", the saying was stuffed back into the proverbial locker, given the several biting commentaries on 'sexism in chess' that graced Kolkata's leading dailies last week. The tete-a-tete involved not only the expert flaunting of knights and pawns but also a flamboyant display of Bengali baits and taunts over complementary cups of hot sugary tea. Yes, this was the epitome of the eloquent Bengali battle of wits where moves over the board vied for attention with the tea cup ceremony. As Kolkata’s intellectual knights clashed at the club over tea, stale biscuits, and pawn e4, the one common sentiment reverberated - never a checkmate on their relentless love for chess, culture and the quintessential Chai. And while the rest of the world might remain fixated on the large screen TVs switched to the cricket game next door, our Boys in Blue would continue to fervently engage in their beloved chess, here in City of Joy, bridging gaps between literary intercourse, sports, and Kolkata's never-ending cultural osmosis. Battle lost or won, each engrossing game culminated in choruses of “tomorrow, same time, same place, bhalo theko (take care).” Now that’s precisely why they call it the city of joy. Tea, Tantrums and Knights – Ah, Kolkata, takes a lot more than that to checkmate you!