MAKING THE RIGHT MOVES

At 18, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa became the world’s youngest player to reach the Chess World Cup Final last month. The Indian teenager slayed some big names, before succumbing to the might of world champion Magnus Carlsen.Medium108412528 Praggnanandhaa had almost all of India following the sport closely.In 2006, it was Ivana Furtado who provided a flash of inspiration to Goa’s chess enthusiasts when she won the under-8 World Youth Chess Championship in Georgia. A year later, she won the world crown again, this time in Turkey.Medium108412530 Ivana became the cynosure of all eyes, and for parents who were pushing their kids to make their moves on the 64 black-and-white squares, she became the reference point.“Ivana started playing chess due to her brother Keegan’s interest, but once she became champion, I believe she made everyone feel that they can be chess players too,” said her father Eli.Medium108412531 Ivana later prioritised education and followed her father’s footsteps to become a civil engineer. But her twin world triumphs was the spark that Goan chess so badly needed.“Earlier, very few parents were interested as it was practically not possible for them to take their kids for classes,” said former Goa Chess Association secretary Kishor Bandekar. “There were no coaching centres in Goa. Then the department of sports (DSYA) started conducting regular chess tournaments and the sport gained prominence.”The Goa Chess Association (GCA) was formed in 1977 and its first tournament at the Janata Vachanalaya in Vasco was a big hit with pioneers like the late Dr RV Rao, Adolf Colaco, Pundalik Nayak, Shrinivasan and others playing a significant role.Medium108412532 GCA continued to organise tournaments, and sometimes, to make up the numbers, members enrolled themselves as participants.“We had that passion to popularise the game. I remember we distributed boards and pieces to people, so that chess gets the much-needed awareness,” remembered MR Naik, the then acting secretary.Medium108412533 A decade after GCA formation, Goa hosted the Sub-Junior National Championship in 1983 where the little-known Viswanatan Anand destroyed the field to emerge champion.The next year, he claimed the National Junior Championship title in Vasco. Anand went on to become a world champion and left his footprints in Goa.Medium108412534 When Fide Master TS Venkatramana became Goa’s first rated player and finished third at the U-17 Nationals in 1984, it showed that the state’s representatives could compete at the national level.It wasn’t until the turn of the century, though, that chess in Goa got an unexpected boost. With Manohar Parrikar as chief minister, the sport got financial backing like never before.Goa soon hosted the World Junior Chess Championship in 2002, putting the state on the global chess map.Medium108412535 “We were conducting and doing regular promotions but once we conducted the big event, players from all over the world participated,” said GCA secretary Ashesh Keni. “The impact of that tournament is such that even today a few Russians and Europeans take part in our tournaments.”Parrikar ensured there were financial rewards too, though funding alone wouldn’t take Goa to the top. You needed a trailblazer. Ivana first showed the way, and it was Bhakti Kulkarni who took the sport to the next level.“There were hardly any girls taking part in competitions when I started. My dad (Pradip Kulkarni) is passionate, so he made sure I learnt the sport at age four. I wish every girl plays the game in Goa,” said Bhakti, Goa’s only woman Arjuna Award winner and the first to win the highest recognition for a sport beyond football.Medium108412536 The 31-year-old Margao resident has also won a historic gold for India in the first Fide Online Chess Olympiad in 2020.Anurag Mhamal’s rise as the first grandmaster from Goa, and then young Leon Mendonca becoming a GM at 14, provided enough proof that Goans could match the best-ranked players.“It was a long journey with a lot of ups and downs, but my entire family and I were happy when I finally got the GM title,” said Anurag, whose father Arvind was a player and administrator.Medium108412537 Goa now has two grandmasters, four International Masters and even an Arjuna Award winner, most of whom have benefitted from corporate support provided by the likes of Dempo and Geno.A circuit exposure that clubs three to four tournaments in Europe can cost a minimum of Rs 3 lakh. If a parent is accompanying, the cost is double.“The expenses towards overseas tournaments and coaching are exorbitant,” said Edwin Vaz, father of Ethan, who is backed by Geno.Medium108412538 Dempo supported Bhakti from 2008 to 2020.Chess has come a long way since a few enthusiasts formed the association and took part in tournaments. Now, the chess body has 12 taluka associations and approximately 1,200 registered players.For Goan chess, it’s been quite a journey.