Grand Mastery Still Some Way Away!

Overall, the path to becoming a chess power looks bright. But India, though on course, has a long, long distance to go.

- Rakesh Rao

Quietly and steadily, Indian chess has been making waves at almost every level. There has been a rise in the number of grandmasters, addition to the world and continental titles at the age­group level and the number of norm­holders is increasing.

Overall, the growth graph shows an upward mobility like never before.

However, like many marginalised disciplines in the country, this cerebral sport also suffers from a lack of attention from most quarters.

More often than not, the performers don’t get the accolades they deserve, the importance gets buried in the background and the media, both print and electronic, falls short of projecting the achievements of the individuals in a befitting manner.

In spite of all the challenges, some inherent to chess itself, the players have braved it all. Since chess is not a spectator sport— cheers and applause are not allowed during games — the performers expect all the admiration after the last move is made.

In the absence of appreciation, most chess players have reconciled to their fate and continue to work in the background in search of excellence.

Such is the mindset of the chess players driven by passion. Except at the highest level, chess players don’t make much money from winning. For many, coaching becomes an option to supplement their income even when they are actively playing. Several grandmasters and international masters, make more money from part­time coaching than playing full­time as professionals.

Therefore, it is clear that most players who have done well have been driven purely by passion for the game and not for monetary gains. This passionate approach, seen over the past few decades, has helped in producing grandmasters in increasingly good numbers as compared to the past.