Yes, the whole world, not merely a selection, as often happens in cricket or football. It probably started out as a gimmick, but has now become an obsession for the chess fraternity. Who else but Bill Gates' Microsoft could have drummed up such an idea. Garry Kasparov versus the Rest of the World.

The game, which can be viewed on innumerable sites through various links is now four weeks old. It takes 24 hours for one move from the World team, and Kasparov, from wherever he is, sends one move a day. At one move a day from either side, 14 moves have been played on either side. Garry Kasparov haswhite, and the Rest of the World which according to the last estimate has over 15,000 players on its team has black.

The match is a roaring success and more than three and a half million page visits were registered during the first two weeks of playing. And by the time the game is over, it will easily be the single largest event to be viewed on the net.

The match began on June 21 with Kasparov's first move e4. Thereafter it was the "World's" turn to play its move. Anyone with a valid e-mail address is eligible to play. They only need to log on to msn.com. Sign up as a new player, choose a unique name -- it better be unique because the MSN Gaming Zone, where the game is being played has over six million registered users -- and password for yourself. Once accepted, you are part of the World team.

Click on "games" and pick your move from one of the suggested moves. The suggested moves come from a panel of Grandmasters/coaches Etienne Bacrot, 16, Florin Felecan, 19, Irina Krush, 15, and Elisabeth Pahtz,14 who are assisted by GM Danny King acting as the moderator. But, should a player on the World team have a different suggestion, he or she can recommend that.

Remember to enter your "Zone Member ID" and "Password" to confirm your vote. Or else you might miss on a historic move.

The coaches give their suggestions, evaluate each move and also take into consideration the highest number of votes polled for a certain move and then play it on the board, which appears on the network. For instance, 97.73 per cent of the players on the World team polled for black 14th move as 14....a7xb6.

Lest one believes that consensus can never really come up with something sensational and innovative, the 10th move 10... Qe6 by the "World" team was a "novelty". It took even the world champion by surprise.

Kasparov's reaction on the net: "Congratulations for a new move! The world is making valuable contribution to the opening theory! That is completely refuting the notion about low quality of the moves selected on themajority basis! I also think that my comment after 3...Bd7 (chess is still macho game, remember?) played certain role for the last choice.

"This time boys' attempts to play a quiet solid game have totaly failed under girls' pressure to complicate the position! Whatever happens, chess is going to be enriched by the exciting game!"

So much so, chess experts around the world opine that this novelty will now be termed as Sicilian defence, World variation.

Team that helps `World' make its move

The "World" team has a coaches panel that is young and dynamic, and which could well dominate the game in the coming millenium. In addition there is Danny King, Grandmaster Danny King, has done everything from featuring in ads, scripting TV shows to commentating and nalysing World chess championships matches. He was the TV analyst when Anand played Kasparov in New York in 1995. Gives suggestions, analyses and helps the team of coaches in making the "World's" move for the day.

The coachespanel

Irina Krush: Aged 15 and rated at 2375. Bronze medallist at the FIDE Girls World Championships in India last year, she is No. 1 women's player in the US.

Etienne Bacrot: Now aged 16, became an IM at 12 and became a GM at 14 years and two months, then a world record.

Florin Felecan: Aged 19, born in Romania, but shifted to US in 1997. Tied for first in 1994 European Junior championships. Now rated at 2615.

Elizabeth Pahtz: Aged 14, caught Kasparov's eye when he saw her play in Hanover last year. He called the German Interior Minister and demanded that she be given sponsorship and a stipend. Kasparov predicts Pahtz will be among the top five women in the world in the next year or two.