He is out to challenge the best of the arbiters with his sheer passion and the keenness to keep increasing the vast base of chess knowledge. That is Inaganti Amarnath, who achieved a rare first for any chess player from both the Telugu-speaking States — Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — earning the FIDE Trainer title - a few weeks ago for you.
He and his brother Inaganti Ganesh set another record of sorts by being the first brother duo to officiate in the World Youth chess championship in South Africa. Amarnath, a physically challenged player, also provided a ‘silver’ lining by finishing second in the Commonwealth Championship (physically disabled category) in Glasgow (Scotland) three years ago in the 2011 World championship for disabled.
It fetched the 37-year-old a job in the South Central Railway. This time he became the only arbiter from Telangana to officiate in the Chess Olympiad (along with two other Indians - Anantharam and Gopa Kumar).
“It was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. A performance which also spurred me to do well in the Trainers’ Seminar in Norway where I earned the FIDE Trainer title,” says a delighted Amarnath, representing the All India Chess Federation (AICF). Though he managed to fund his own trip and is now hoping the Sports Authority of Telangana.
Amarnath has also been re-elected as the general secretary of the International Physically Disabled Chess Association during the Olympiad. “This provides me a rare platform to raise the issues faced by the physically challenged players and also find ways and means to resolve some of their pressing problems in pursuing their passion for chess,” he says.
