Chess manual for TN schools to popularise the sport

Chennai: Giving a fillip to promoting chess in Tamil Nadu, home of world champion Viswanathan Anand, the state chess association has prepared a manual for schools to enable students evince interest in the sport.

"Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu asked us to prepare a manual, which we did.The programme will initially be introduced in Dharmapuri, Erode, Kancheepuram, Tiruchirapalli and Ramanathapuram districts from the next academic year ," K Muralimohan, General Secretary of Tamil Nadu State Chess Association told reporters. The programme will enable SDATN train coordinators who will in turn train school students in the 7-17 age groups, he said. Delighted over the state government`s initiative, Anand said it is a big step forward to popularise the mental game. "I am delighted and proud that my home state has taken this initiative. This is a big step to popularise chess among school children and make it a mass game," he told reporters. Anand said chess helps develop one`s memory, concentration and strategic decision making skills, qualities which would help students in their academics. He thanked Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for taking a personal interest towards promoting the game. In August last year, Jayalalithaa had announced in the assembly that chess would be introduced in schools to `enhance the efficiency and thinking capacity among students.` PTI