Chess wizard couple, other champs chip in for feeding the needy

CHENNAI: Grandmaster R B Ramesh and his wife Aarthie Ramaswamy, who is a woman Grandmaster, have helped shape the careers of young chess players like R Praggnanandhaa, Aravindh Chithambaram and Karthikeyan Murali through Chess Gurukul. Now, the two are offering help for a different cause by providing essentials for the needy through their charitable trust as the city battles to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ramesh, India's 10th Grandmaster, believes it is the duty of everyone to do their bit at this hour. "This is the time for each one of us to be of help to those who are in distress. Through our trust, we have distributed essentials such as rice, dal, noodles, biscuits, sugar and spices to about 50 families. Apart from this, we have also donated 1.75 lakh to small organizations that are doing similar services to the society," Ramesh told TOI.
Ramesh and Aarthie established the trust about 5 years ago to back promising players who aren't financially sound. The essential items are being distributed by his domestic help and driver. Ramesh has also garnered support from other chess players like G M Harikrishna and Praggu for the cause. "Harikrishna offered 2 lakh while other GMs such as Praggu, Karthikeyan have all made their contributions," said Ramesh.
Harikrishna was pleased with the work Ramesh and his team have been doing. "When I came to know that he was helping the needy, I was happy to be onboard," said Harikrishna.
The lockdown hasn't deterred Ramesh from engaging in online sessions with his students. "It hasn't affected our daily routine as I train and analyse games with my students online. This is the time when our chess players can work on their weak areas. Plus, the players remain in a competitive mode by taking part in online competitions," said Ramesh.