From Iceland — Screaming Yoga Class Disturbs Chess Tournament Next Door

Screaming Yoga Class Disturbs Chess Tournament Next Door

Published January 21, 2020

Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo by
Wikimedia Commons/che

Location is everything, as they say, and that apparently applies just as much to which two places of business are right next to each other as it does to attracting a costumer base.

Fréttablaðið reports that there has been considerable discordance at Faxafen 12, which houses both the Chess Society of Reykjavík and the gym Primal.

The conflict arises from the fact that the chess club was under the impression that the point of emphasis for Primal was going to be meditation and yoga. Chess, as many people know, is a sport that requires considerable concentration, and so silence is a must.

However, chess enthusiasts at the location have been unhappy with what they report as loud music coming through the walls of their space from Primal. The final straw came when, as the chess club was holding one of its most important tournaments of the year, a lively session of screaming yoga began in Primal. This caused considerable consternation amongst competitors at the tournament.

Despite this, Ríkharður Sveinsson, the director of the chess club, told reporters that he did not want to make a big deal out of the situation, and is optimistic that a solution will be found. Þór Guðnason, one of the owners of Primal, told reporters that while he is not sure where the misunderstanding arose that his business was strictly about meditation and yoga, he hopes that the soundproofing situation will be improved soon.

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