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Life in
black-and-white
EVEN THOUGH grandmaster, Vishwanathan Anand, has
done India proud by showing his superiority on the chessboard there
aren't many takers for a game of chess. To make the public get
hooked to this axing game, N.C.Mehra and J.V. Ravichandran have come
out with a book, titled, "Analytical Games of Chess" in which they
have given theoretical and, significantly, legal moves of
grandmasters like Anand and Kramnik in graphic details.
With the disintegration of the former Soviet, do we
stand a chance of becoming the top nation in chess? "Yes we do. In
Soviet Union it was compulsory in the school curriculum to play
chess. They used to give extra incentive. Whereas in India our
students don't concentrate on any game," says the co-author,
Ravichandran, a software engineer by profession.
Does one need to be a mathematical genius or a
numerical wizard, one asks. "One needs to have an analytical mind.
Not necessarily a mathematical mind. I was captain of the chess team
when I was a student at Shri Venkateshwara College. During those
days J.V. Joshi and Apte were major players. Chess in the Capital
was flourishing till 1991. There was obvious talent but not much
improvement could be made, as there wasn't much of interaction
between the players. This was due to politics going on in the Delhi
Chess Association. Because of infighting there weren't many sponsors
and professionals weren't coming forward." He says that game isn't
as popular as cricket, because parents don't encourage their
children to spend so much time in this game as they feel this it
would affect their studies. He believes children have the ability to
become professional players and illustrates his point by giving the
case of Tanya Sachdeva who is "the first woman international master
from Delhi."
Mehra says, "Chapter two informs amateurs and
beginners how to lay traps. We have shown games of great players so
that beginners can hone their skills. There is analysis from
computer. After the success of Vishwanathan Anand this game has
become highly popular. Being a chess player is considered as an
extra qualification in banks, excise and central income tax."
MADHUR TANKHA
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