Date:24/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/24/stories/2007112454310600.htm

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Andhra Pradesh

Wins a place in Guinness Book

Special Correspondent

Malla Siva carves a
one square inch chess board and all chess
pieces using a piece of slate and slate pencils

Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

Malla Siva with the trophy and certificate awarded by Guinness Book of World Records in Visakhapatnam on Friday. —

VISAKHAPATNAM: Malla Siva, a native of Visakhapatnam and working in the Indian Railways at Bilaspur, entered into the Guinness Book of World Records by preparing a one square inch chess board with all the chess pieces.

Mr. Siva prepared the chess board and pieces with a piece of slate and slate pencils in the city in January. His achievement was accepted by the Guinness Book recently.

Mr. Siva announced the same at a press conference here on Friday in the presence of Divisional Railway Manager Indra Ghosh. The certificate issued by the Guinness Book of World Records was put on display.

The chess board measures 26 mm by 26 mm and the biggest chess piece measures 11 mm in height and the smallest 6 mm. Mr. Siva carved the chess board and pieces with hand using very fine needles and other gadgets he himself prepared.

The railway employee learnt painting from his cousin Malla Lakshmi Narayana at an young age and won prizes at many competitions. Later on, he started preparing miniatures simultaneously and achieved the dream of entering the Guinness Book.

Mr. Indra Ghosh expressed his satisfaction over Mr. Siva entering the prestigious Guinness Book of World Records and hoped he would achieve more records in future.

Chief patron of District Chess Association B. Jayakumar felt happy that Mr. Siva had chosen a chess board to achieve his record. Senior Divisional Electrical Engineer of East Coast Railway M.K. Gupta, organising secretary of AP Chess Association K.V.V. Sarma, Regional Manager of HPCL Selvakumar, corporators Dadi Satyanarayana and Pilla Kannababu and others felicitated Mr. Siva.