KOCHI: The beauty of chess is it can be whatever you want it to be. It transcends language, age, race, religion, politics, gender and socioeconomic background. Whatever your circumstances, anyone can enjoy a good fight to the death over the chess board.
— Simon Williams, English grandmaster and author
In the coming week, about 2,000 battle-hardened warriors from 188 countries will descend upon India. They will be at war over 64 squares as the country hosts 44th World Chess Olympiad 2022, set to begin on July 28.
The Olympiad will be the second global chess event to be held in Chennai, after the 2013 World Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen. And the build-up is massive.
On International Chess Day (July), TNIE takes a look at the ‘war game’ trends in Kerala.
Far away from the buzzing Olympiad venue in Mahabalipuram, an intense battle has just begun at the Chamgampuzha park in Kochi. The sun has set, and it is pouring. In a small room with a tiled roof, a group of men are busy playing carroms. A few steps ahead, on the verandah of a building, half-drenched Lakshmanan K A has made a Ruy Lopez opening, and is waiting for his opponent Joy Mathew’s move.
Lakshmanan, 78, has been playing chess for over 50 years. He is a veteran at the Changampuzha Chess Club, where multiple groups huddle around chess battles. Amateurs closely watch the matches, seeking to learn a few ace strategies.
A barber by profession, Lakshmanan, who runs Santosh Salon in Elamkulam, says he was a national-level player with a rating of 1769. He proudly recalls defeating international master and former Asian champ Rohini Khadilkar at a contest in Maharashtra.
“The 1972 World Championship game between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer, dubbed as the ‘match of the century’, made waves across the world,” he says. “Learning about that game motivated me to take up chess seriously, and chess has been an integral part of my life since then.”
Technology has advanced and today’s generation has many options to learn the game, notes Lakshmanan. “Certain youngsters’ moves stun me. Some would be under the age of nine, but their game would be impressive,” he adds.
About 30-40 chess enthusiasts turn up every day at the Changampuzha park between 5pm and 9pm. “There is no membership, anyone can come and play,” says the club’s secretary, Sanoop P B. “We pool in money when we need funds to buy new boards, that’s all.”
The scene at Changampuzha park is just a sample of how chess has thrived, as silently as the game, in pockets across Kerala. Veterans recall the indigenous chaturangam was more popular than chess until the 1972 Fischer-Spassky clash. It was US vs Soviet Union Cold War on the chess board.
“Chess was played in Kerala back then but it wasn’t that popular. Later, chaturanga players such as S H Thangal and T K Jospeh emerged on the chess scene and became state champions,” says Thrissur-based N R Anilkumar, who participated in the 25th 1982 Chess Olympiad in Switzerland.
“Thereon, chess flourished in Kerala. The game is quite active in districts such as Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Kozhikode. Though Thiruvananthapuram had the House of Soviet Cultural Centre (now Russian Cultural Centre), the facility was under-utilised. Currently, Kerala has three grandmasters — G N Gopal from Ernakulam, Thrissur-native Nihal Sarin, and S L Narayanan from Thiruvananthapuram. Nihal and Narayan will be playing at the Olympiad.”
National chess instructor and managing director of Thiruvananthapuram’s International School of Chess Unnikrishnan M A says there has been a positive trend in the capital city. “I have been training students over the past four years at my school and also at the Russian Cultural Centre’s Alekhine Chess Club,” he says.
However, he believes the game needs more state support. “Kerala lacks systematic training at the ground level. The positive impact of chess has many examples. Marottichal, a village in Thrissur, was once hooked to hooch and gambling. The village, on the whole, took up chess, and bid goodbye to unhealthy habits.”
Online boom
All India Chess Federation official Subha Rakesh says the rise in online chess platforms has had a major impact. “Online games brought the chess community closer. Even national championships were held online. We also set up an online game for the elderly,” says the only woman arbiter from Kerala at the Olympiad in Chennai.
M B Muralidharan, a former national player who runs MBM Chess Academy in Kochi, says the online boom brought him students from across India and abroad. “I have been running the academy since 2007 and never had more than 30 students,” he says. “Chess saw a surge after the Covid outbreak. Now I have over 100 students.”
On asking about his match with Vishy Anand, Muralidharan smiles: “It was in 1984, during a national tournament in Ahmedabad. He was a boy back then. The match was a draw.”
‘Chess in School’
State chairperson of the All India Chess Federation’s ‘Chess in School’ project Subha Rakesh says that the game would soon become part of school syllabus in Kerala. “The game can help students to sharpen their brain, grasp things quickly. Chess is already part of the syllabus in Tamil Nadu,” she notes. “The project is gradually progressing here.”
S L Narayanan, 24 41st grandmaster from India
“It has been more than a decade that I have been playing chess. The game has not only helped me in enhancing patience and concentration but also helped me to score well in my studies,” he tells TNIE over phone from Portugal, where he is participating in a tournament. “Being a professional player, I always prefer playing onboard than digitally as it gives a chance to understand and observe the opponent’s psychology and make my moves accordingly. After the pandemic, many prize money tournaments came on digital platforms, where the participation of youngsters also increased.” Narayanan, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, says he draws inspiration from Magnus Carlsen. “I will soon be joining Team India soon at the Chess Olympiad in Chennai,” he signs off,
Chess prodigies
Balanandan Ayappan - T’Puram
The 8-year boy is on his way to making his future happen in chess. He is currently the title holder of under 9 state champions. He started playing tournaments when he was 5. “The state championship was the crucial match I ever played as it decides my position in chess. Neverthless, I want to win the grand master title and also want to beat Magnus Carlsen and be the world champion,” says Balanandan
Anupam Sreekumar - T’Puram
She started off her journey when she was 6. She used to play the game with her father Sreekumar K R. The youngster won the under 9 national champions, under 11 national champions, under 10 commonwealth champion, under 10 Asian silver medalist, and is also a bronze medalist in under 14. “I’m currently playing in the under 14 category. My next focus is world championship which will be held this coming September,” says Anupam.
Aryan Sibin - Kochi
He started his game when he was just 5 years old. He started off by following his brother Ishan’s path who is also a chess player. “I was able to learn the game quickly when I started to play online. I want to win the grand master title and play like Garry Kasparov and Paul Morphy,” says Aryan who is currently the under 7 district champion.
Janaki SD and Pournami SD -T’Puram
Sister duo has already made a mark. Janaki has got the highest FIDE rating of 1152 under her category. Whereas Pouranmi won the under 15 district championship and she is preparing for the state title.