Chess, a game of strategy and wits has long been considered to be the thinking game. A wonderful game to play anytime, anywhere, and with almost anyone who knows the game. International Chess Day which is celebrated annually on July 20 marks the date of the establishment of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). Now, this day has become significant to chess players and is celebrated by millions of chess lovers throughout the world.
Being one of the oldest games spanning more than 50 years, the sport has many advantages, which has proven to have helped many in their daily lives. From nurturing a sense of patience and boosting concentration levels to incorporating strategic thinking. The game has aided many to survive in times of crisis and has even improved health, reduced anxieties and has equipped people with problem solving skills, by teaching them to weigh options before rushing into decisions.
Kishore Bandekar, the treasurer of Goa Chess Association (GCA) sharing his experience with the game said, “Chess helps individuals build their knowledge and improves concentration. Everything you take from the sport, you can use it in daily life. I became a Chartered Account only because of Chess, as it helps one to be focused and choose the right path.” He added that life is a game of chess, stating, “The game is similar to life in terms of planning your move, in a way leading you to enlarge your mindset. Small moves on the board overtime teaches you to become sharp and smart. So whatever a person does in life is like chess itself, unfortunately in life we do not lead with organised or focused thinking.”
Introducing children to the game is not easy. A junior chess player, Ethan Vaz who was introduced to the game at six years can attest to the fact. “There is a lot of chess theory and it takes a lot of practice too to become better at chess. One can’t really prepare for a game always, but preparing some of my favourite openings does help sometimes, however it depends a lot on the opponent as well.”
Having played with older and senior players now, the 10-year-old Ethan adds that since the time he joined the GCA his confidence has increased. He has also learnt that plans can keep changing with each and every move, therefore practice is very important if you want to improve.
The experienced chess player Kishore explained, “When children are brought to the board, we teach them first how to be patient, then how to digest the laws and finally to calculate moves. We also teach them how to become tough, by learning to accept wins and losses.”
The chess player with 40 years of experience states that there is still a good response towards the sport. “There is a good response from schools and parents, even from villages. We trained almost 1,500 players in the last four months. We hold camps in rural villages and people come and attend these camps. Schools also want to have these camps but we don’t have enough coaches, we have only three coaches provided by the Government of Goa, and a few others. Currently, we’re a bit understaffed,” added Kishore.
Goa Chess Association has been scaling heights having organised two mega events, one in October 2018 and another in June 2019. “We had around 2,000 players participating from around the world. The chess tournament held in 2019 was one of the best events we’ve had, to be held in India,” stated Kishore, the committee member and organiser of the events.
Anurag Mhamal, the first Grandmaster of Goa and the 48th Grandmaster of India shared with The Goan that he is all set to be the captain and coach for the ‘Team of Angola’ in the upcoming Chess Olympiad 2022 in Chennai from July 28 to August 10. Starting his journey in chess from the age of six, Anurag said, “Initially chess wasn’t as much fun as a kid due to the necessity to practice sitting at one place, but winning my first tournament spiked a lot of interest and that’s when I really started enjoying the game.”
Chess, having influenced him, has turned out to be more than just a sport. “Chess pushed me not just to do better in my studies, but to improve my physical attributes in order to stay focused, maintain good energy levels and help in key aspects of chess,” shared Anurag, the chess champion, adding that every tournament takes immense preparation.
“Like all chess players, I too try to solve a lot of puzzles, perform exercises to sharpen my mind, improve pattern recognition and get focused,” he stated.
Building life skills and enjoying life is important to inculcate from a young age. Anurag’s message for youngsters this International Chess Day is to pursue the game.
He said, “By trying to find the right balance between keeping it fun and staying dedicated, you can get to where you want to be.”
