Being differently abled was no barrier to shine in chess, a game associated with intelligence, for the 120 participants who came down to take part at the regional-level chess tournament conducted by Visakha Differently Abled Chess Association (VDACA) in association with Satkarya Seva Sangham and United Chess Players Association at Prism College on Sunday. The competitive spirit was palpable among the participants as they keenly followed the moves of their opponents.
The chess competition was held in four categories – orthopaedically challenged, visually impaired, hearing impaired and mentally challenged – and saw the participation of differently abled people from the three districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam. The winner and runner-up in each category will go on to participate at the national level contest to be held in Chennai in December.
FIDE rated player and founder of VDACA K. Yesu Babu, who has been training the differently abled in chess for the past five years, said that platforms like the regional-level chess tournament would bring the spotlight on several hidden talents in chess from the State and would show them a way forward to hone their skills in the game.
The visually impaired participants played on a special board where they were allowed to feel the board which had sockets for every piece. As someone who couldn’t see the board, it was remarkable to see the participants visualize it and memorize the position of every piece, including their opponent’s.
Speaking about chess players with Downs syndrome and mental retardation, Mr. Yesu Babu said some of them show promising talent and, more importantly, have the zeal to learn and excel. For instance, Vijayawada based K.V. Krishna Karthik who has nervous system failure, is one of the top talents in AP and is a national level chess player. “The approach to training the mentally challenged persons in chess is different. When I am training such individuals, they need to be repeatedly told the nuances of the game so that it registers in their mind. And once they get the hang of it, most of them have a sharp memory,” he said.
Andhra University Registrar V. Uma Maheswara Rao gave away prizes to the winners. Among others, those present were Satkharya Seva Sangam president T. Surekha, Ken Foundation Society founder and president P. Santosh, United Chess Players Association president P. Venugopala Rao and secretary Srinivasa Rao Bayya and VHPS Uttarandhra president Chintalapudi Srinivasa Rao.
