‘Pawnographic’ World Chess Championship logo looks like it’s from the Kama Sutra

Safe to say chess fans didn’t see this sexy move coming.

Yes, you just read the words “chess” and “sexy” in the same sentence.

The 2018 World Chess Championship logo revealed Tuesday is a black-and-white illustration of two bodies, a chess board between them, with their legs wrapped around each other.

If you busted out a chess game while reading the “Kama Sutra,” it might look like this.

Kinky?

Check, mate.

Here’s a more “graphic” version of the logo.

Social media has dubbed the image “pawnographic.”

“Finally, a position where DeepMind will have to do more than just calculations. If you’re in this position you can definitely count yourself off Santa’s good list!” five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand told ESPN.

Apparently people couldn’t wait to tweet the image to legendary grandmaster Garry Kasparov, who offered his own cheeky assessment.

“Thanks, I guess, to everyone sending this to me,” he tweeted. “I’ll answer with a line from the great Tim Rice musical, Chess: ‘I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine!’”

The logo was created by Shuka Design in Moscow for the tournament slated for November in London.

“The key visual for the 2018 World Chess Championship is controversial and trendy, just like the host city,” the championship organizers said in revealing the design.

“As organizers of the match we’ve been busy for over a year working with artists and designers to develop a perfect key visual, the image that will be associated with the 2018 match and which will find its way onto mugs, posters, outdoor displays, venue design, media, broadcasting graphics and more.”

The posters and coffee mugs might have to wait because people aren’t quite sure they understand the logo.

But hey, it’s great for giggles.

Chess fans and players are taking issue with how the board in the logo has 6x6 squares, not the standard 8x8.

“As a chess player, I wish the board was 8x8 and the pawn not on the back rank,” Anand told ESPN. “In the end, people watch chess for the games. I’m hoping this doesn’t end up pushing us into late night TV.”

People are openly laughing at it, chess expert David Kramaley told Britain’s Telegraph. “But, joking aside, I’ve got to say it has grown on me.”

The Telegraph’s chess correspondent, Malcolm Pein, international director of the English Chess Federation, likes the logo, too.

“It reminds me of the logo created when I was involved in using chess to market a Viagra competitor — I kid you not — it was called Uprima.” Pein said.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 9:33 AM with the headline "‘Pawnographic’ World Chess Championship logo looks like it’s from the Kama Sutra."