The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Chess prodigy needs a sponsor

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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Chess prodigy needs a sponsor

V.V. Subrahmanyam

Chess player Prathima

HYDERABAD: Ten-year-old Muthyala Bansi Prathima has returned from Philippines with a rich haul of three gold medals from the Asian age group chess championship – blitz gold and two team gold medals, besides the individual bronze. The enthusiasm of her parents, Muralidhar, APO in SCR, and Dr. Sailaja, has not dimmed despite the problems they faced in mobilising funds. They now nurture the dream of Prathima becoming a world champion.

Even in chess, players like Prathima have to incur heavy expenditure for hiring a full-time coach (in her case D.V. Ganesh) and taking care of travel and accommodation for all major events. On an average, the parents will have to spend about Rs.6 lakh per annum. “This is a huge problem. But we cannot shirk our minimum responsibility,” says Muralidhar. Prathima, the reigning national under-9 champion, has just come back after winning the Asian bronze in the under-10 open category, besides the gold in the blitz category.

Mr. Ganesh insists that his ward, who was the 2008 World schools champion, has the talent. It will be a pity if she fails to find the sponsors . This 5th standard student of Railway Girls High School in Secunderabad may be forced to miss the big events. So, when Monarch Ergonomics vice-president Mandava Asha came up with a symbolic gesture of presenting a cheque of Rs. 10,000 to the young champion, the parents have every reason to hope that this could just be the beginning of a new chapter in Prathima's career.

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