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This is an archive article published on September 27, 2018

WATCH: Chess star Niklesh Jain proposes Colombian player at Chess Olympiad

Describing the Olympiad as a "temple for chess players", Niklesh said he believes it was the pefect place to propose Colombian player Angela Franco.

Niklesh Jain proposed Angela Franco during the ongoing Chess Olympiad in Georgia. (Twitter/chesscom)

Indian chess player-turned-journalist Niklesh Jain proposed Colombian player Angela Franco at the ongoing Chess Olympiad in Georgia on Tuesday. Describing the Olympiad as a “temple for chess players”, Niklesh said he believes it was the pefect place to propose his girlfriend.

Jain, who is currently ranked 1460 in India, proposed his girlfriend before the start of Colombia’s round two match on Tuesday. Speaking at the event, the 34-year-old revealed it was all planned in the morning and Angela’s sister, who’s also a grandmaster, was aware about it. As the Colombia team was preparing for the match against China, Niklesh bent on his knees and presented her a ring. Angela was left surprised by his actions, and she blushed and turned away, before eventually accepting the proposal.

Every participant present at the room applauded and cheered the couple as they continued to smile and celebrate. Speaking with Chess.com News, Niklesh said he met her in Barcelona, when they were playing their matches sitting next to each other. He said he managed a win against a tough opponent that day, although he was not trying to impress her.

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He also spoke about the language difficulties the couple faced when they initially started interacting. As both were not very fluent in English, the couple had to use a translator application to communicate.  He further added that the sport helped the couple in bonding.

Niklesh also said that Angela visited India on January to spend time with his family. He added that both the familes have accepted the relationship.

Niklesh concluded with a message: “The world is for peace, for love and there’s no language, no colour, no bar of anything. We should be a good human being and this is good for world.”

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