CHENNAI: These chess enthusiasts have never seen Viswanathan Anand play. In fact, a good majority of the 73 students who took part in a state-level chess tournament on Friday had little idea about what their opponents looked like. But that certainly didn’t stop these visually impaired players from stepping up to win.

“Winning. That’s the only word on my mind when I’m playing chess,” said 14-year-old David Kumar, who made the trip from Puducherry for the event.

In fact, his proficiency in  the game has made him one of the most popular youngsters at school. So much so that he adds, “This past year alone, I’ve travelled to Vellore, Kerala, Udupi and now Chennai — all for chess tournaments. Just give me the board, and let’s go!”

If you’re wondering how the platform is modified for players who can’t see — it’s simple. The chessboard for the visually challenged has pegs at its base so that the pieces do not fall. To distinguish between the black and white pieces by feel, the black pieces have flat edges, while the white pieces have sharp ones.
 

All revved up to play, an expanse of students are seated across table upon table in a large hall, some in their late teens and others as young as six years old! Coming in from a range of schools for the differently abled, as far as Cuddalore, Salem and Madurai, many of these students are less than a year into the game but play like there’s a board exam on the line.

C Govindakrishnan,  founder of Nethrodaya, and the man behind this initiative for the last 12 years, tells us there’s a reason why. It’s a barrier-free sport. “If it were any other game, people would say you can’t see. How will you run? How will you jump?” Not chess, though. With no concessions required whatsoever for the visually impaired players, he emphasises, “That sense of fight and competition within a visually impaired individual really blossoms here.”

Interestingly enough, there were no senior folks presenting trophies as the tourney drew to a close. Instead, the celebrity of the hour was ‘teenage’ grandmaster, Aravindh Chithambaram.

Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Vision-problems-hardly-manage-to-checkmate-these-players/2016/08/27/article3598943.ece