Technology Can Propel India into A Global Chess Powerhouse

Dr Sivaram Ambikarasan from the Department of Data Science & AI at IITM emphasised the need for a comprehensive digital platform for chess that could engage fans, train players, and provide educational resources.

DR SIVARAM AMBIKARASAN

Department of Data Science and AI at IIT Madras

Dr Sivaram Ambikarasan from the Department of Data Science and AI at IIT Madras, who holds a PhD in computational and mathematical engineering, a master’s degree in statistics from Stanford University and is an accomplished chess player, delivered an inspiring and thought-provoking vision talk on technology that India needs to adopt to become a global chess powerhouse.

But why chess of all sports? To give a quick context, Dr Sivaram explained how India is in a fairly good space in terms of chess. “We have four Indians among the top 10 players worldwide. We have a lot more youngsters playing chess. Chess ranks third in popularity among the sports viewed by Indians online, with cricket being the first, followed by football,” he said.