Date:27/08/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/08/27/stories/2007082758250200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

An event showcasing capabilities of the visually impaired

Staff Reporter

— Photo: S.S. Kumar

RIGHT MOVE: A chess tournament for the visually impaired was organised in Chennai on Sunday.

CHENNAI: Impatient participants at the 4th South Indian Adapted Chess Tournament began moving the pieces on their chess boards even before speeches at its inauguration were completed.

Excitement coupled with a tinge of anxiety enveloped the venue. Around 100 visually impaired chess players from the four southern states gathered in the city on Sunday for the tournament organised by Nethrodaya, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the rights of differently abled persons.

Madras High Court judge T.K. Mishra, chief guest at the function, said the courage displayed by the participants would serve as an example for others. “The very fact that you have overcome your disability is enough reason to congratulate you.”

The youngest participant in the tournament was aged around 12 years and the oldest about 40 years. Nethrodaya founder C. Govindakrishnan said their age was immaterial as chess was a mind game. “It involved concentration and skill.”

The tournament was called the adapted chess tournament because the chess board is adapted to help the players feel and tell the difference between the white and black pieces and their positioning. “This allows them to play on par with any other person,” Mr. Govindakrishnan said. Events like this show that we could also be involved in sports, share the same competitive spirit and camaraderie. “It is not necessary to keep us in a corner like dolls. There is a need for many more sporting events like these” he added. The State Commissioner for the Disabled, V.K. Jayakodi, said it was an event showcasing the capabilities of the visually impaired. He underscored the importance of Government working closely with the NGOs in order to ensure the rights of the differently abled.

The 11-year-old chess champion S.T. Saikrishna was felicitated on the occasion. A student of St. Louis School for the Blind, Adyar, he learnt to play chess from his mother at the age of five. He has participated in various State-level competitions and placed second in Tamil Nadu last year and ninth in the South. But Saikrishna has set for himself larger goals. “I want to become a professional chess player and play for the country” he says.