NEW DELHI: Within the hit HBO collection Sport of Thrones, these from the North and the South had a contrasting strategy in direction of dominance, survival, and finally success. The blood and intuition of the North had been met with the alliance-building of the South.Alongside these traces, an identical story is enjoying out in Indian chess.23-year-old Vantika Agrawal, a double gold medallist from the 2024 Chess Olympiad and an Arjuna Awardee, says she feels let down by the way in which chess is perceived within the northern a part of the nation.Go Past The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“In North India, there is no such thing as a tradition of chess,” the Uttar Pradesh-born Grandmaster tells TimesofIndia.com.“If somebody asks what you do right here, and also you say, ‘I am a chess participant,’ their response is often, ‘Okay, however what do you truly do? What are you finding out?’ I feel it is nonetheless the identical story, even after profitable so many medals. Folks nonetheless ask, ‘Chess is okay, however what do you actually do?'”Her phrases land like a checkmate: trustworthy, sharp, and damning. And she or he just isn’t alone.If a line is drawn within the center, the southern a part of India would undoubtedly be the undisputed Dragonstone of Indian chess. From Viswanathan Anand to D Gukesh, from Praggnanandhaa to his sister Vaishali, the state has produced a number of stars.Whereas, in North India, in states like Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, the board appears to be like starkly completely different.Delhi Chess Affiliation (DCA) president Bharat Singh Chauhan doesn’t sugarcoat it: “By start, North Indians are completely different and South Indians are completely different. There’s an enormous cultural distinction between North and South India. If I put it bluntly, within the South, even a billionaire might be seen carrying slippers and standing at a bus cease, whereas right here within the North, even somebody with Rs 5 crore will get handled like royalty.”
Unique | Arjuna Awardee Vantika Agrawal: ‘Folks nonetheless ask, ‘Chess is okay, however what do you actually do?”
Within the North, chess usually battles for legitimacy — seen by many as a pastime slightly than a profession.“Talking of Delhi particularly, Parimarjan Negi, a GM from Delhi who’s now settled within the US, and GM Sahaj Grover, too, have virtually stop chess. They really feel like no matter they wished to attain from this sport, they’ve achieved it. It’s a cultural and mindset distinction. Within the South, there’s a deep-rooted chess tradition. Even if you happen to speak to Viswanathan Anand immediately, you’ll see the distinction,” added the DCA president.The numbers again him up. Delhi NCR alone sees Rs 5 crore in month-to-month earnings throughout 200-odd chess coaches. But, the standard just isn’t on top of things, with households switching coaches for marginal value variations.“In the present day, there’s no chess participant dying of starvation. Right here, the factor is, no one retires. There’s additionally no management over trainers. Many come promising, ‘I’ll make your little one the following Anand,’ however they’re mendacity. It’s simply advertising and marketing. For a revenue of Rs 5,000, folks swap coaches. That’s what we lack right here,” Chauhan elaborated. “Within the South, there’s loyalty — like Vishnu Prasanna has been with Gukesh for years. The identical goes for RB Ramesh and Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali, Aravindh Chithambaram. That tradition doesn’t exist right here. We’re educated thugs.”ALSO READ: ‘Earlier, I used to beat Indians at will’: What global chess stars in their 30s, 50s, and 80s say about India’s dominanceGrandmaster SL Narayanan, who hails from Kerala — a state usually grouped into the broad ‘South’ label — goes a step additional to make a pointy distinction. “Folks label all the things as ‘South,’ however truthfully, solely Tamil Nadu has that stage of chess help,” the 27-year-old stated. “In my state, if you happen to grow to be a Grandmaster, it is nonetheless not a giant deal. However Tamil Nadu? The federal government awards you. That motivation is highly effective.”He isn’t exaggerating. Worldwide Arbiter and senior chess administrator Gopakumar Sudhakaran, who additionally hails from Kerala, says Tamil Nadu’s emergence because the mecca of Indian chess is not any accident — it’s the results of cultural evolution. And surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of its devastation, performed a major function in accelerating this shift.“In Tamil Nadu, chess is a part of family tradition. Even when it’s not aggressive, the daddy, mom, everybody is aware of how you can play. That’s not as widespread within the North. But it surely’s simply how societies evolve otherwise,” Sudhakaran added.“Submit-COVID, on-line platforms have actually helped bridge the hole. Earlier, we couldn’t think about Worldwide Masters coming from locations like Jammu & Kashmir; now, it’s taking place. Teaching is extra accessible, and we’ve entered a sort of cosmopolitan coaching setting.“Chess was as soon as seen as playing in some elements of North India, however now dad and mom see its worth and help their kids.”Shyam Sundar M, a 2013 Grandmaster who now coaches younger skills like FIDE World Junior Champion Pranav V and GM Srihari LR at Chennai’s Chess Thulir academy, reveals how and why so many Tamil Nadu gamers dedicate themselves fully to chess, usually at the price of teachers.
Ballot
Do you imagine that chess is perceived otherwise in Northern and Southern India?
“In Tamil Nadu, many gamers dedicate themselves totally to chess, usually sacrificing teachers. And I’ve seen a big pattern for the reason that COVID-19 days. Some faculties right here, like Velammal, are supportive, providing flexibility by way of attendance and even monetary assist. When Gukesh gained (the World Championship), he was gifted a automobile price almost Rs 1 crore. The state authorities additionally offers money awards,” the 33-year-old Shyam Sundar defined.“In Tamil Nadu, extra gamers maintain developing. So naturally, some dad and mom begin pondering possibly even my little one can grow to be like that. They get impressed by different children’ success. And when extra gamers come, total curiosity within the sport additionally will increase. That’s how the sport turns into extra truthful and aggressive.”The North isn’t barren. But it surely lacks the sacred establishments that the South has fastidiously cultivated. Like Jon Snow staring down Daenerys’s dragons, the northern expertise nonetheless burns vivid, simply with out the firepower behind it.The problem now’s to forge a unified kingdom, one the place Vantika doesn’t have to elucidate her career, the place switching coaches isn’t routine, and the place a baby from Rohtak can dream as vividly as one from Rameswaram.
