Perfect moves

Sports bodies can learn from the Chess Federation

That the All India Chess Federation (AICF) put together a Chess Olympiad in four months is testimony to its organisational skills. The preparation for the next edition of this biennial event usually starts as the previous one winds up but this had to happen in a hurry. Hosting a Chess Olympiad is nearly as complicated as hosting the Olympics. The host must accommodate 2,500 players, delegates, coaches, etc., and this edition is the largest ever with 350 teams from 187 nations. This meant coordination between the state and Central governments, finding sponsors, evaluating venues, arranging accommodation, plugging in the bandwidth to beam out 1,400 games simultaneously in real time. In addition, the AICF worked out subsidies for national federations, which lacked the resources to send teams. This is one reason for record attendance despite the absence of Russia and China, and the withdrawal of Pakistan’s teams at the behest of their government.

Hosting this event smoothly is proof that the AICF is capable of acting quickly. The fact that at least three of the Indian teams are expected to challenge for medals in both sections is testimony to the AICF’s ability to enable a nurturing long-term ecosystem. Like most Indian sports organisations, the AICF has its share of infighting, legal cases, and controversies. Unlike most, it has always maintained a laser focus on improving the environment for playing chess. At the top level, the federation finds the resources to send teams and players abroad. It is proactive in finding sponsorship for large international events. And, beyond that, it has shown up in the federation encouraging private citizens to coordinate chess activities on their own initiative.
 

This has helped in establishing coaching centres across the country and ample opportunity for young players to receive guidance and competitive experience. It helps that chess has great branding and it surely helps that India’s great player and former world champion, Viswanathan Anand, is a fantastic ambassador. Digital penetration and the fact that chess took to the internet like a duck to water are other positives. But the AICF also deserves credit for rising above the infighting to ensure players have in general received the support they needed to shine. It has succeeded in exploiting and maximising the impact of a positive macro-environment. As a result, India has the world’s largest chess-playing population with 33,000 internationally rated players, meaning players who have participated in formal recognised events. That is a pyramid with a massive base and it inevitably means more in the way of high-performers at the apex.

There are 75 Indian Grandmasters, and many of them are not yet of voting age. The depth shows in the Olympiad. India has six teams, with three in each section. The India 1 squad is seeded second in the Open section, and the women’s India 1 team is top-seeded. The second team is seeded 11th in both sections and the India 3 squads are seeded 17th (Open) and 16th (Women). The average age of the India 2 team is under-20 with four teenaged Grandmasters who have all been tipped as potential world champions. Every sport federation has its factions and controversies but very few manage to move past the infighting to actually support players. In that respect, the AICF surely offers a model for emulation.