Chess takes centre stage

CHENNAI: Magnus Carlsen of Norway recently termed Tamil Nadu “the hottest hub of chess in the world [right] now”. The numbers are there to back the statement up as one-third of the country’s Grandmasters – 26 out of 74 – hail from the state.

So, how did Tamil Nadu turn into a powerhouse? While interacting with DT Next, Indian GMs RB Ramesh – the coach of the India Open ‘B’ team at the Chess Olympiad – and Viswanathan Anand – a five-time world champion and current mentor of the India teams – revealed the factors that contributed to the rise of chess in this land.

Associations on point

The Tamil Nadu State Chess Association and the Chennai District Chess Association have been proactive over the years, organising tournaments on a regular basis. “The other state associations did not function properly. Back then (during his playing days), players from other states would come to Tamil Nadu because of paucity of tournaments [in other parts of the country]. There were a lot of playing opportunities,” said Ramesh, one among 25 from the state to have achieved the GM title in the last two-and-a-half decades.

Funding from overseas

The Tal Chess Club in the then Madras, which was run by India’s first International Master Manuel Aaron with backing from Soviet funds, was in operation from 1972 to 1992. Although the club did not conduct many tournaments, it attracted youngsters from the city. “The presence of the club also helped. When the Soviet Union broke, it stopped the funding. All of us used to visit the club in the evenings,” added Ramesh.

Emergence of gurukuls in 2000s

A number of former players began academies across the state, which helped youth learn the ropes in their own cities and close to their homes. “Typically, the parents do not want their children to watch TV or play video games. They, instead, want their children to focus on something healthier. And, chess fits the bill very nicely,” said Ramesh, who has been running ‘Chess Gurukul’ at T Nagar in Chennai, the birthplace of plenty of prodigies.

“Bloom Chess Academy (Tiruvottiyur) was doing very well. Many young, talented players came out of the academy regularly. We also have the T Nagar Chess Academy (T Nagar). It has also been doing a great job,” Ramesh went on to add.

Support from government

According to Anand, chess has been well respected in Tamil Nadu for a number of years now. “We have always been the dominant state, since at least the 1960s. It is good that we keep dominating. It (chess) has always remained a part of our culture. It is great that the Government of Tamil Nadu did not hesitate [to host the Olympiad]. It (Olympiad) could not have happened without the government’s support,” said Anand.

Inspirational figures

Heroes have emerged both on and off the board. “India’s first GM (Anand in 1988) and first IM (Aaron in 1961) are from Chennai. When records are created, youngsters get inspired and take up the sport. When Anand became a GM, I entered the chess world,” said Ramesh.

“We also had philanthropists like Dakshinamoorthy. He is no more (he passed away at the age of 92 in 2017). Anyone who wanted to play a game of chess used to visit his home (in T Nagar, Chennai). When I was a young kid, I used to go to his home almost every day. He used to provide snacks to the players, so we would even avoid lunch. From morning to night, we used to play there. Since there were not many tournaments, we had to learn the game by playing within ourselves,” explained Ramesh.