Bharat Singh Chauhan, the president of Delhi Chess Association, has been a former chess player and has been associated with chess for years now. During the felicitation ceremony of the Tania Sachdev and Abhijeet Gupta for winning bronze and silver medals at Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey, Chauhan spoke to Indian Sports News.
Excerpts:
ISN: India has made depth inroads in the field of chess. What is the chief factor behind it?
BS Chauhan: Chess is a game which was invented in India. Chess is a game which requires lot of brains. So, it is a naturally occurring phenomenon in India. I guess this is the most important reason behind our progress in the game.
ISN: How much do you think medals at events like Chess Olympiads will boost the game in India?
BS Chauhan: It would have a huge impact on the cause of chess in India. Medals like this give publicity to chess and make it famous among the younger generation which will help youngsters to take up the game. Chess has always been bringing laurels for the country and this just shows the kind of field we have.
ISN: Chess has been bringing laurels to country from long? Still it is not that famous. Can you cite the reasons behind it?
BS Chauhan: See things have changed from the past and Chess is also becoming very famous in the country. People have started taking chess seriously. I agree that the game is not that famous as it should have been considering the success that the game has brought to the country. But then I am sure that with time things will and chess will soon one of the most popular games in the country.
ISN: How is the support of the government towards the cause of chess in India?
BS Chauhan: Well honestly speaking, sport like chess is running due to the support of the government. We get a lot of support from the government.
ISN: What steps are being taken to popularise the game in India?
BS Chauhan: We have been doing extensive work for publicising the game and develop it as a premium sport. We have coaching camps all over the country. We have camps organised simultaneously during the tournaments where grandmasters look after the game of the new players. Lot of work in being done in this regards and also organise many tournaments across the country.
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News
