Tamil Nadu will soon have an exclusive academy – Home of Chess – to train budding chess players, announced chief minister M K Stalin on Tuesday.
Felicitating world chess champion Gukesh at a state function and eulogising the teenager by repeatedly referring to him as ‘our boy’ and ‘Chennai boy’, the chief minister said the state would churn out many more Grandmasters both due to the confidence given by the victory of Gukesh and the state efforts through the proposed academy. He also presented a cheque for 5 crore to Gukesh.
“This is a state event not just to celebrate Gukesh. It is an event to encourage everyone aspiring to succeed in the sports arena,” Stalin said, adding: “Youths from Tamil Nadu should excel in both education and sports. That is why the govt is implementing schemes like Naan Mudhalvan, Pudhu mai Pen and Tamil Pudhalvan to boost higher education. Our students and youths should make the best use of the opportunities created by our Dravidian model govt.”
He said the DMK govt always played a major role in organising top sports events, and added the state’s first success was the 44th Chess Olympiad. The event exhibited the state’s hospitality as well as the foundational strength of the Dravidian model, Stalin said. The govt then organised mega events such as the world women tennis championship, squash world cup, Asia hockey champions trophy, HCL cyclothon and Chennai Grandmasters, he said.
Stalin said chess is not just a mind game, and added it offered plenty of life’s lessons. At times one may have to sacrifice the all-powerful queen to succeed in life. Similarly, even a pawn would assume the power of the queen with right moves, he said, emphasizing the need for students and youths to stay focused and be ready for sacrifices.
In his speech, deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said Gukesh’s win will make chess as popular as cricket, and take the game to the nook and corners of the state. “Many more chess champions will emerge from Tamil Nadu, and one day it will emerge as the chess capital of the world,” he said.
Earlier, Gukesh was taken in a ceremonial parade to Kalaivanar Arangam through Wallajah Road, as large crowd cheered and jostled to get a glimpse of the city’s young hero.
