RohitBhandiye
PANAJI
When14-year old chess prodigy Ethan Vaz from Goa became India’s 96thGrandmaster, he became the third Chess Grandmaster from the stateafter Anurag Mhamal and Leon Mendonca.
Now,the tiny state has 3 Grand Master and a Woman Grand Master, which isa big number considering the size of Goa. One must remember that Goahas a population of only 16 lakhs. So, there is a one Grand Masterfor every four-lakh population. In fact, this ratio is the best amongany state or union territory in the country.
“Human Development Index (HDI) of Goais quite high as compared to rest of the country. This has resulted in a lot of qualitychess players being produced from the state. In terms of HDI, Goa can be compared to any Europeancountry, “ Ashesh Keni, Secretary, Goa Chess Association told The Goan.
“Per capita income in Goa is amongstthe highest in the country. Many parents over here, try to explore something new and find outwhat talent the child has and his interest level. Also, many parents feel it’s better thattheir child play chess rather than any physical sport which
can cause injuries. Also, there are rainsin Goa for about four months in a year. So, it is not possible to play outdoor,” said Keniwho has been associated with Goa Chess Association for more than 25 years and has served as itsPresident for three terms.
Keni informed that they have 12 chessassociations, one in each taluka of Goa who are conducting activities in each of thosetalukas.
According to him, state level chesstournaments attract about 300 – 400 participants from across the state in all the categoriesput together. The tournaments are well organized and majority of them are conducted in AChalls.
Unlike other sports, he says, chess hasthe junior most category starting from U-7 level and there is a good response in that categoryas well. The state tournament attracts about 50 – 60 players in each of the categorieswhich include U-7, U-9, U-11, U-13, U-15, U-19 and seniors.
In recent times, Goa’s Evan Tellisbagged gold at the National U-7 Chess Championship while Prayank Gaonkar won a silver at theU-7 national level chess tournament. This is the talent coming out of Goa even in themost junior category.
“We have created a chess culture in Goasince last 25 years. We have regular weekend chess tournaments on Saturdays and Sundayswherein about 200 – 300 children participate and Goa, being a small state, players cantravel to their home and need not stay overnight even if they come from far-offplaces. This is one of the biggest advantages we have. We have also got good coachingfacility for chess in Goa. We guide and motivate parents as well. “
“We have also started the FIDE ‘Chessin School’ program where in Goa Chess Association is spending nearly about Rs. 10 lakhsannually on this program. We have identified 2 government schools in each of the 12talukas. We have our own chess coaches who are providing coaching to children ofStandard III and IV, one class per week, in each of these schools,” said Keni.
“Thisis a pilot project. In future, we want all the schools in Goa to bepart of this project. This is not done to produce champions. In fact,by playing chess, one’s analytical, logical and reasoning skillsimprove. This has been proved scientifically as well. This is themain purpose of introducing chess in school, “ said Keni.
“In the last 4-5 years, most of theGoan students who have made it to the IIT are our regular chess players, “ the GCA secretary sayswith justified pride.
In2017, Anurag Mhamal became the first Grand Master from Goa while in2021, Leon Mendonca became the second one. Now, Ethan Vaz has becomethe third one.
Apartfrom them, Goa’s Bhakti Kulkarni is among the 23 Women GrandMasters in the country. Goa has also produced 4 InternationalMasters – Ameya Audi, Rohan Ahuja, Nitish Belurkar and Ritviz Parab.
“Leonand Ethan are our biggest finds in recent times. It is not surprisingthat they have become Grand Master. They will soon rise in terms ofELO Rating points, “ said Ashesh Keni.
