BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik discussed development and promotion of Chess in Odisha with deputy chair of FIDE Management Board Dana Reizniece Ozola here.
The chief minister and Dana, a woman grand master and former Minister of Finance & Economics, Republic of Latvia engaged in a fruitful discussion to promote chess in the state. Dana commended the state’s initiatives in nurturing young chess talent.
The chief minister emphasised the need to popularise chess as a mind-sport and its immense potential to empower the youth intellectually and emotionally. Both of them highlighted the importance of identifying and supporting young chess prodigies and providing them the right infrastructure and training to excel on national and international stages.
“We are committed to providing the best opportunities for our youth, and chess is a powerful avenue for their growth. We have established the state level chess academy - Pro-Chess-Ta, Chess in Schools project, while more than 100 chess training centres across Odisha are planned. We look forward to working closely with FIDE to achieve our goals,” said the chief minister.Reizniece-Ozola, known for her unwavering support for the global chess community, expressed her appreciation for the chief minister and Odisha’s relentless efforts in fostering the growth of sports among its youth.