Indian chess federation draws up roadmap for game

New Delhi, Feb 14 : Tapping talent at the grassroots is one of the ambitious goals of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) as part of its future roadmap, it was decided at its annual general body meeting here on Sunday Announcing the AICF’s plans, its president Sanjay Kapoor said that the federation’s main goal is to introduce chess in the school curriculum.
“Our main focus will be government schools across the country. We have done basic homework in this regard. Hopefully, it will start functioning from June,” said Kapoor at a media interaction here.
In the initial stage, said Kapoor, about 700 teachers would be trained to impart lessons to budding players, including beginners. “International rated chess players and Grand Masters of the country will also be part of the ambitious project,” he said. The AICF has also decided to have former world champion Vishwanathan Anand on its advisory board.
“Currently there are 34,000 rated players, but our goal is to increase it to 500,000 in the next three years,” he said of the AICF’s plan.
Opening up of the National Centre of Excellence to nurture potential chess players will also be taken up. Starting a chess league is part of the road map for the development of the game.