Sport
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Chess
Nagpur organisers lead by example
By Rakesh Rao
NAGPUR, JAN. 15. In recent years, chess may have become an upwardly mobile sport, but the organisers of tournaments around the country do not seem to have made much headway. Looking for a sound sponsor remains the biggest discouraging factor for those eager to hold premier competitions.
Lack of spectator-appeal, the not-so-high profile of the sport and the inexplicably poor marketing of big events have left the leading industrial houses thoroughly disinterested in associating themselves with chess in a big way.
In such a gloomy scenario, the organisers in this `Orange City', provide the proverbial silver lining. Over the years, Nagpur has hosted several National-level championships at regular intervals. Not just that, the organisers have also gained a reputation for doing a pretty good job of it.
The prestigious National `A' chess championship, which opens at the VBA Hall here on Thursday, makes a return after just three years. This is surely a confirmation of the goodwill and the credibility enjoyed by the Nagpur Chess Association that has once again brought in Bharat Petroleum as the sponsor.
The sustained efforts of the organisers in this city are indeed laudable when compared to what one witnessed during the course of the last edition of the championship held in New Delhi. Despite the rare opportunity to showcase the leading men and women players of the country before the prospective sponsors, the Delhi Chess Association had provided an unforgettable example of how not to organise an event of this magnitude.
The prize-money and the cost of accommodation was met only on the final day after Rs. three lakh was given by Mr. Dhruv Sawhney, the then President of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) and Rs. two lakh by Amity, an educational institute.
Last month, even the AICF waited in vain for sponsorship-support when it marked its Golden Jubilee year with a `Grandmasters' tournament at Kozhikode. With the sponsors staying away, the event ended as a financial disaster.
Still, there is hope. It may be recalled that Indian Oil had sponsored the National championships in table tennis, badminton etc for a stipulated number of years. Since a number of country's leading sportspersons, including chess players, are employed with various units of the Petroleum sector, the AICF should find a way to sign a long-term sponsorship deal with such units.
If the Nagpur Chess Association can meet the expectations of the sponsors and lure them to come back for more, what prevents the AICF to follow suit and do even better? By being more `flexible' in its approach towards all potential sponsors, the AICF can surely generate adequate funds and do more for the deserving players at all levels.
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