WHILE SPEAKING to merinews.com, S.L. Harsh, President for the Chess Association of India said, “Chess is like Physics, where you need to think logically, like Mathematics, where you have to calculate your move and also like an art, where you have to imagine the moves like Architecture”. He was elated when he came to know that Tamil Nadu became the second state in the country to introduce Chess in schools.

So, it is an opportunity for the students, to think about a career in chess, if they are passionate about the sport. It would be interesting to know, how many would take this route? Whatever be the result, a simple participation in the game of Chess, would prove to be a mental exercise for the student too, says Harsh. It also helps in building up long hours of concentration.  

Chess has the potential to be one of the best sports for students, where they anticipate the movement of the players, as they think ahead and make strategies in order to win the match. Harsh says, “Hence, all these things, such as planning and approach are important in our daily lives too”. He adds, “While playing Chess, the behaviour and the attitude of the student can be read, as to whether he is taking a defensive, aggressive, or counter attacking approach, thus reflecting his character too."

With two states already introducing Chess in their state, are other states willing to follow these two states. It is not a big surprise that Tamil Nadu also took up this initiative, as they have a good history in this sport.

With such an initiative taken by the state government, it would play a long way in the development of the sport, which has not flourished, as the country is gripped by Cricket fever 24x7. We have been hearing the name of Viswanathan Anand for decades now, but apart from him, no one else has made it big in the international stage. Koneru Humpy, a female Indian grandmaster can also be mentioned here. Harsh also puts the blame solely across All India Chess federation, which has been recognised by the Government of India stating, it has not done enough for the sport, which has the potential to produce several grandmasters.