AICF chief sees bright future
for Indian chess

India has almost six world-class chess players who can be Grandmasters in the next three to four years, says FIDE vice-president and All India Chess Federation secretary-general P T Ummer Koya.

"We have six Grandmasters, and there are six more with the potential to become Grandmasters soon," he told the Dubai-based Gulf News .

His optimism comes from the sterling performance by Indian players in Iran, last week, where the country won four gold medals out of six.

"Overall Indians bagged ten medals in the championship; four gold, two silver and four bronze medals. We are now preparing to meet challenges from any country," Koya said.

"Today India can be proud of its performance only in chess. I don't see any future for other sports in India. Millions of dollars are spent on other sports, but where is the result?" Koya added.

He said chess in India is flourishing without the backing of any multinational tobacco or liquor giant. "We start from the grassroot level. Like China, we don't depend on foreign help for progress," said Koya, who has been promoting chess for over three decades.

He said the Government of India is also promoting chess for the past five years by giving cash awards for good performance.

"This year the government has given over Rs one crore [10 million] to Indian players," he said.

Chess can become more popular than cricket in India if marketed like cricket.

"Chess is the ideal game for Indians as we have never achieved anything through muscle power," he explained.

"We are capable of excelling with intelligence. Information technology and chess are two fields in which Indians are capable of dominating the world. The future of Indian sports in the international arena will depend on the performance of our chess players," he added.