PANAJI
India has 28 states and 8 union territories. But, among that, only 12 states and 1 union territory have produced Chess Grand Master. And, Goa is one among them. Undoubtedly, Tamil Nadu leads the tally with 31 GMs, followed by Maharashtra (12), West Bengal (11), Delhi (6) and Telangana (6).
Goa, in spite being a tiny state, with a population of nearly about 16 lakhs has produced 2 Chess Grand Master and a Woman Grand Master, which is a big number considering the size of the state. So, in Goa, there is a one Grand Master for every five lakh population. In fact, this ratio is the best among any state or union territory in the country.
“Human Development Index (HDI) of Goa is quite high as compared to rest of the country. This has resulted in a lot of quality chess players being produced from the state. In terms of HDI, Goa can be compared to any European country, “said, Ashesh Keni, Secretary, Goa Chess Association.
“Many parents over here, try to explore something new and find out what talent the child has and his interest level. Also, many parents feel it’s better that their child play chess rather than any physical sport which can cause injury. Also, there are rains in Goa for about four months in a year. So, it is not possible to play outdoor,” says Keni who has been part of the association for more than 25 years and has served its President for three terms.
According to him, state level chess tournaments attracts about 200 – 500 participants from across the state in all the categories put together. Unlike other sports, he says, chess has the junior most category starting from U-7 level and there is a good response in that category as well.
The state tournament attracts about 60 – 70 players in each of the categories. “We have created a mini-chess culture in Goa. We have regular weekend chess tournaments on Saturdays and Sundays wherein about 200 – 300 children participates and Goa, being a small state, players can travel to their home and need not stay overnight even if they come from far-off places. This is one of the biggest advantages we have.”
“Also, we have started FIDE Chess in School program where in Goa Chess Association is spending nearly about Rs. 12 lakhs annually on this program. We have identified 2 schools in each of the talukas. At present, 7-8 talukas have started this program. We have our own chess coaches who are providing coaching to children of Standard III and IV, one class per week, in each of these schools,” he said.
“This is a pilot project. In future, we want all the schools in Goa to be part of this project. This is not done to produce champions. In fact, by playing chess, one’s analytical, logical and reasoning skills improve. This has been proved scientifically as well. This is the main purpose of introducing chess in school., “ said Keni.
“In the last 4-5 years, most the Goan students who have made it to the IIT are our regular chess players, “ says GCA secretary with pride.
In India, there are 85 Grand Masters including Goa’s very own Anurag Mhamal and Leon Mendonca. About 25 years ago, there were only three Grand Masters in the country.
In fact, in the last 10 years nearly about 50 players from India have become Grand Masters.
Anurag was the 48th Indian player to receive the Grand Master norm in 2017 and Leon became 67th player from India to become Grand Master in 2020.
Apart from them, Goa’s Bhakti Kulkarni is among the 23 Women Grand Masters in the country.
Goa has also produced 5 International Masters – Ameya Audi, Rohan Ahuja, Nitish Belurkar,
Ritviz Parab and Ethan Vaz.
“Leon and Ethan are our biggest finds in recent times. In fact, Leon is currently ranked 95th in the world and 12-year-old Ethan is one of the youngest IMs.”, said Ashesh Keni with justified pride.
State Grand Masters
Tamil Nadu 31
Maharashtra 12
West Bengal 11
Delhi 6
Telangana 6
Karnataka 4
Andhra Pradesh 4
Kerala 3
Goa 2
Gujarat 2
Odisha 2
Haryana 1
Rajasthan 1
Total 85
