After a history-making month for Indian chess, the All India Chess Federation unveiled a bunch of initiatives to additional popularise the game in India, and revealed a whopping finances of Rs 65 crore.
Final month, 5 Indian grandmasters — Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Vidit Gujrathi within the open part and Humpy Koneru and Vaishali within the ladies’s occasion — had competed within the prestigious Candidates match. 17-year-old Gukesh went on to win the open part occasion, thus changing into the youngest participant to qualify for the World Chess Championship battle.
Now, to capitalise on that progress on the 64 squares, the Indian chess federation has introduced a raft of initiatives similar to having a chess growth fund, introducing robust monetary backing with participant contracts and training in any respect ranges, financially supporting district and state associations, establishing a state-of-the-art Nationwide Chess Area (NCA) for elite-level coaching and an AICF Score system particularly for India.
AICF’s new president, Nitin Narang, unveiling the nationwide chess federation’s blueprint on the AICF normal physique assembly on Saturday night, pinpointed 4 important challenges that want addressing: integration of chess into college curriculum, introduction of chess e-learning in syllabus (chess in training); the identification and nurturing of expertise; the strengthening of grassroots academies and coaching establishments; and the sustainability of the All India Chess Federation (AICF).
Candidates Chess 2024: India’s R Praggnanandhaa, D Gukesh, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi. Koneru Humpy on the Opening Ceremony together with different gamers. (PHOTO: FIDE/Michal Walusza)
“Gamers are on the coronary heart of chess and lots of must compromise on their ardour because of the lack of funds, institutional assist, and alternatives. I’m dedicated to creating each participant’s dream a actuality via myriad initiatives rolled out as we speak, in our INR 65 Cr finances. We’re establishing a chess growth fund to make sure that we empower the grassroots degree gamers and convey them to a world degree of excellence,” Narang mentioned whereas saying their ambition to deliver chess to each family.
Listed below are a number of the most notable options introduced by the AICF:
Contracts for national-level gamers: AICF mentioned it’s going to introduce two-year contracts for national-level gamers, from U-7 to U-19 age teams, disbursing funds starting from Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 to gamers through Direct Profit Switch underneath related classes. The gamers will promote chess via grassroots initiatives like ‘Meet the Champions’ in academic establishments.
Money Rewards for Prime 20 Chess Gamers: To acknowledge and reward excellence in chess, AICF mentioned it’s going to allocate money awards to the highest 10 female and male gamers based mostly on their FIDE rankings. The highest 5 female and male gamers will every obtain Rs 25 lakh, whereas the gamers ranked sixth to tenth will every be awarded Rs 12.5 lakh.
Chess growth fund: The fund will assist initiatives similar to coach coaching packages, coach certification, and outreach efforts, together with workshops and conferences. It goals to combine chess into college curriculums and supply assets tailor-made to feminine gamers and numerous social segments.
Girls In Chess program: The Girls In Chess program goals to boost inclusivity and alternative in chess for ladies, increasing the Sensible Lady Program with a minimal of fifty annual occasions, every supported by a ₹1,00,000 grant. AICF additionally mentioned that it’ll have a 33% reservation for ladies in a number of key areas like certification for coaches and arbiters, participation of feminine arbiters in AICF-recognised occasions, and inclusion within the Campus Ambassador Program.
Plans for Chess Content material Creators: AICF additionally mentioned it wished to collaborate with YouTubers, influencers, and streamers in addition to fostering new creators via mentorship from established content material creators to nurture a thriving neighborhood of chess content material creators.
Different plans included:
Having Nationwide Chess Awards and a Chess Improvement Convention to honor distinctive coaches and gamers and to concurrently deliver collectively business leaders and universities to advance chess via strategic workshops and discussions, recognizing important contributions to each the sport and societal growth.
A company chess league
A Wheelchair Chess Program in collaboration with NGOs in addition to initiatives for senior residents (“Checkmate Dementia”, and a chess initiative for at-risk youth.