CARUANA OH NA NA: Checkmate Song Hits!
Today its been one year since Carlsen-Caruana World Chess Championship ended,
November 28th... a new legendary match!
We made a song about it!
Check Mate Hits: CARUANA OH NA NA
Our Chess version of "Havana", by Camila Cabello
Yea with Anna this is our idea of chilling on holidays...
Anna also made a Vlog video about the story behind it,
we talk about how we came up with this crazy Idea...
So, the story goes like this...
I went to the World Chess Championship in London to present at the broadcast my
Chess Song Video "Isolated Pawn",
and with my dearest friend Anna, we shared closely the last week of the tight Chess Match, enjoying London's cultural scene and making good friendships!
Anna and GM Judit Polgar were the Official Chess Commentators,
so I was so lucky to follow really closely all the tension and the juicy details,
usually at late night dinner, when transmissions were over.
Cause these games were long, long, long. No quick draws here.
Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, two real wrestlers,
drove us crazy with the Classical games results:
12 draws!!
That didn't mean no action, on the contrary... In the corridors of the historical venue,
The College in Holborn, you could touch the electric excitement among all of us who
were following day after day this display of brilliant tenacity,
but I think we all were expecting to see some blood too.
The last day arrived, and Tie Breaks defined the Winner,
with 3-0 by the reigning Magnus Carlsen
in rapid games.
But it wasn't until the last moment of the match that we knew with certainty who would became World Champion! Fabiano Caruana did such an amazing performance.
So time passed after the Championship and in New Year's Eve, and Anna visited me in Chile!
As soon as I picked her up at the airport, I told her I had this idea to make some videos
singing covers of popular songs, and including a Chess Board on the screen
with non-stop tactical sequences,
so people who are not regular Chess players could watch tactics, solve them or follow them,
enjoy Checkmate motifs and become familiar with Chess on an easy going format:
a music cover video of a song you already love, a Hit !
This idea is called Checkmate Hits, and today is the very first one I release.
Anna was, as usual, very encouraging!
Then we were sharing some days with Argentinian friend GM Ruben Felgaer,
who listened to the idea and said: It's good, but there's something missing...
You should change the lyrics of the cover to Chess lyrics ! Ufff !!
That was a challenge... but I knew he was totally right.
I started to adapt the previous song right away. Anna helped me record the first Checkmate Hits
video at the beach, which you will see soon
We also recorded Guns n' Roses song "Patience", and Anna sang it wonderfully !
This is a beautiful video with our holiday memories at the Beach, I love it!
After that we went to the mountains in the South, to literally the middle of nowhere.
And on our way on the car's Radio we were listening to the fantastic Camila Cabello's "Havana".
It was very natural to both of us
to start joking and singing "Caruana Oh na na", instead of "Havana Oh na na" !
We needed to write about him, adapt this song! Of course it had to be the story of the World Chess Championship.
So we did, swimming in the river and laughing a lot while doing so.
What is most special for me about this video is the passion and dedication Anna put into her performance and Rap ( the Rap part she wrote by herself ! )
She always surprises me with her sparkling creativity, her love for challenges, delivering always from the heart.
We made this video with great admiration to these two amazing Chess Champions.
We hope you enjoy it and share your thoughts with us !
I invite you to join my Chess Club for more Chess Songs News !
Chess Songs by Juga
https://www.chess.com/club/chess-songs-by-juga
Love, Juga
