Chess is like a language; the top players are very fluent at it. Talent can be developed scientifically but you have to find first what you are good at. – Viswanathan Anand
John Lee and Anand Raghunauth, representatives from the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) who are intricately involved with chess in the school system, along with GCF President Frankie Farley, Loris Nathoo and Yolander Persaud, exchanged views with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr at the National Racquet Centre two Saturdays ago.
Ramson expressed his support for the GCF and its efforts in popularizing the game, and, in particular, the progress which is being made with the Chess-in-Schools programme. The minister offered advice to the GCF, inclusive of encouraging the Federation to establish sub-associations and clubs throughout the country to improve the organization of the game in all of the regions.
The minister referred to the successes the GCF has had in acquiring the assistance of the Indian High Commission for a chess coach, International Master Athanu Lahiri, to provide online tutorship from India. Lahiri was Secretary to the All India Federation which played a significant role in making India a chess superpower. Communication channels between the GCF and the All India Chess Federation were facilitated by High Commissioner Dr K J Srinivasa, at the Indian High Commission in Georgetown.
India is celebrated as having the fastest production of international masters and grandmasters in chess. India is second only to Russia for producing chess grandmasters. Additionally, readers would be aware that India produced a FIDE world chess champion in the person of Viswanathan Anand who dethroned Russia’s Vladimir Kramnik in 2000.
The Chess-in-Schools programme had an early beginning in 2012 when the then minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony opened the National Inter-School Chess Championships and expressed his intention to continue to work with the GCF to support the sport with its development in schools. After a brief hiatus, the GCF, working in partnership with FIDE, the global body for chess, formulated a sub-committee chaired by Anand Raghunauth to transform the initiative into reality.
