Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Rising to the challenge
|
For these students overcoming a handicap is as easy as playing the game to perfection
|
Photo: D. Gopalakrishnan
CHECK MATE Shiva Shekhar is all set to make a mark at the World Championship for the Blind.
Twenty-year-old Shiva Shekhar bagged the top spot in the South zone chess tournament for the visually challenged which was conducted by the Devnar Foundation for the Blind in Begumpet, Andhra Pradesh.
G. Sreedhar was second and E. Deekshit stood third. All three were from A.P.
A total of 88 players from five States A.P., Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Goa and Pondicherry took part in the tournament.
Shiva Sekhar who has been playing chess for five years now, has twice finished as runner-up in the Nationals under-18 tournaments.
Bound for Greece
"I am now preparing for my next tournament — the World Championship for the Blind, which is to be held in Greece from June 28.
I will be the only player from India who will be taking part in that tournament. So, I am determined to perform well."
The second-placed G. Sreedhar is a 17-year-old who took up the game three years ago.
His notable feats include finishing third place in the under-18 category on two occasions.
E. Deekshit who came third is only 13 years old but already has played in several tournaments and has proved that he is a player with a lot of potential.
The confidence of these boys and their mastery over various moves on the board is remarkable. The only difference in the rules is that they are allowed to touch and feel all the pieces to understand the exact positions of the pieces on the specially designed chessboards.
The top ten players from this tournament will play in the national championship for the visually challenged, which is to be held at Delhi in a few weeks time.
"Where potential is concerned, there is no difference between normally sighted people and our students.
All they need is an opportunity to prove themselves," says Dr. Sai Baba Goud, Managing Trustee of the Devnar Foundation.
ABHIJIT SEN GUPTA
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
|
