HYDERABAD: On Monday, India’s teenage chess prodigy, Gukesh D, became the world’s youngest player to win the Candidates event. As the tournament came to an end, the 17-year-old also went ahead of Arjun Erigaisi of Telangana in the live ratings to become India’s top ranked player.
Seven grandmasters (GMs) hail from the state. But top professionals and federation members said the state needs to increase support to chess to be on par with powerhouse Tamil Nadu, where Gukesh hails from.
NVS Ramaraju, who has trained Erigaisi as well as grandmaster Dronavalli Harika, pointed out that there is a dearth of financial support for chess players in the state.
“As a result, they cannot participate in European tournaments. Local tournaments are not sufficient because many players who participate have FIDE ratings below 2000,” he told TNIE. Adding that rating tournaments where top players participate are the need of the hour, he said, “In TN and Karnataka, top-level tournaments are conducted where GMs participate regularly.”
Both Erigaisi and Telangana State Chess Association (TSCA) President KS Prasad spoke on the same lines while speaking to TNIE. Noting that players from Telangana have been performing well at the national and international stage over the past five years despite the lack of support, Prasad sought logistical backing from the government. “We want travel tickets for players, entry fee for tournaments and money for hotel accommodation.”
Sponsorship is another aspect the TSCA chief highlighted. “The CSR support for chess in TN is overwhelming, something we lack in Hyderabad.”
Currently, the TSCA sends players to Chennai to train under GMs. “They mostly train under Shyam Sundar. He also visits our Narayanguda office for 5–6 days a month where we organise a free camp but do not charge the players. It costs Rs 1,00,000 per month,” he said.
“In TN, if a chess player wins, the government announces incentives immediately. Lakhs of rupees have been given to Praggnanadhaa and Gukesh to encourage them,” he added.
Erigaisi too said that there was a dearth of chess-oriented schemes in Telangana, compared to TN. “There are several government-run schemes for chess such as every GM getting a reward. But here I have so far received only Rs 10,000 from the government.”
In 2023, the outgoing BRS government announced a reward of Rs 2.5 crore for Praneeth, India’s 82nd GM, and `50 lakh for WCM V Nanditha.
“Not to disrespect him (Praneeth), but I have been a higher rated player than him,” said Erigaisi, the current India No.2 and World No. 8 — ahead of the legend Viswanathan Anand — with a live FIDE rating of 2761.
Harika, a three-time women’s world championship bronze medallist, also pointed to the lack of recognition in the state. “When Erigaisi became India No.1, nothing special was done to support him. When Gukesh had not qualified for candidates, the TN government organised the Chennai Grand Masters,” she told TNIE.
Prasad agreed with Harika and said, “I got to know that when [TN] CM Stalin was approached by the state federation for Rs 95 crore to organise Chess Olympiad, he gave his nod in 45 minutes. In Telangana, red-tapism has been a hurdle. Even if the government doesn’t want to give a monetary reward, they can just felicitate players and recognise them.”
Erigaisi also echoed this. “Rewards are important as chess is an expensive sport. Even if you have sponsorship and financial support, value through recognition hits you differently.”
“The Chandrababu Naidu government supported chess a lot due to which players like Koneru Humpy, Harika and P Harikrishna came to the fore. However, the desired support was not there from the previous government,” Prasad recollected. Prasad and Harika hoped things would change as there is a new government in the state. “We are seeking time to meet Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. I am sure he will back sports much more as he has been a sportsperson,” asserted Prasad.
A senior official from the Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS) told TNIE, “A new sports policy is in the framework and will be introduced after the LS election gets over.”