J. Ramajayam of Polakkunam village near here, an undergraduate student and self-made chess player, who popularised the board game among rural Dalit children, has gained an FIDE rating. (FIDE is a French acronym for Federation Internationale des Echecs, meaning World Chess Federation.)
He had launched the Sun Chess Academy in his village. The Hindu had first carried a story about him and his disciples in its May 8 issue. He was poised for an FIDE rating after having played against seven rated players and won two bouts at an FIDE event. For the FIDE rating, he had to play against two more rated players. He had planned to take part in the third KFC FIDE rating tournament in Chennai in May, but he could not get funds ready.
Meanwhile, on reading about his story in this newspaper, the then branch manager of Tiruvannamalai Indian Bank, Babu, arranged Rs.3,000. Thanks to the timely aid, Mr. Ramajayam played against six rated players and won against four of them. The win fetched him an FIDE rating of 1,342 and the official confirmation came later. M.N. Mohan, treasurer of Tiruvannamalai District Chess Association termed the FIDE rating as “not an easy task by any means,” especially for someone hailing from such a disadvantaged background.
