Visually impaired players impress at women’s Chess Championship

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The National Open Chess Championship for the Visually Challenged is currently underway in Chandigarh and is setting an example for society through, its visually impaired women chess players. Co-organized by the All-India Chess Federation for the Blind, Equal Opportunity Cell (PWD) and the Director of Sports, Panjab University, the chess championship involves games played in a modified format.

The chessboard has holes on each square which allows pieces to be fixed and black pieces are placed raised compared to white ones. Moreover, the black pieces have a distinguishing pin on top. Players must announce each move after it is played and this is then recorded either in Braille or on a tape recorder.

The championship is currently being led by chess players who have won medals at the para-Asian games. Silver medallistMrunali Pandey of Indonesia and bronze medallistMegha Chakraborty are currently in the lead and representing Maharashtra and West Bengal respectively.

Other players who have left a mark include Sunita of Delhi, Sivaparvathi of Tamil Nadu, Sheetal Rajput of Gujarat, Swapna from West Bengal, and Varsha from Tamil Nadu. According to Megha, who started playing chess at 6 and participated in her first national game in 2016, chess requires presence of mind and is an activity that helps her find calm. She also feels that she can compete well against players with sight, even if she may be unable to defeat them.