Gukesh’s C’ship exploits could prove boon for chess fans

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru

Following the incredible victory of D Gukesh, who won the Chess World Championship crown against Ding Liren, the enthusiasm to play chess, both in Bengaluru and across the state has seen a meteoric rise with the interest skyrocketing amongst parents and children. India’s Gukesh beat China’s Ding Liren in the 14th round of the final of the FIDE’s World Chess Championship on 14th December at Singapore.

This was a watershed moment for Indian Chess, as Gukesh, 18, became the youngest chess world champion. Among the spectators was Sowmya MU, President of the Bengaluru Urban District Chess Association (BUDCA) and the Vice President of the Karnataka State Chess Association (KSCA). She explained the rise in the number of registered chess players from 2023. “The number of registered players has jumped to 6500 this year, in the city.” she said, citing the first Grandmaster tournament in January this year which also helped trigger interest in the sport. There are at present as many as 9367 registered chess players players across the state, close to the 10,000 mark. It was a a mere 2650 at the beginning of last year.

Gukesh’s win is expected to help generate more interest in the game, said Sowmya. “Kids as young as three years old are now making their way to chess academies. With the number of tournaments increasing yearly, we hope to build a unique talent pool for chess,” she stated. When asked about the required number of coaches to handle the avalanche of new entrants, Sowmya hoped that would also increase in the coming days. “At present we may not have the required coaches, but we expect many to be trained so that they become coaches.” she concluded.