Archives November 2021

The year 2021 has been great for India when it comes to sports. After splendid victories in the Olympics and Paralympics, India’s wins haven’t stopped coming in! For the first time the Women’s Indian Chess Team won the Silver Medal at FIDE which is the International Chess Federation or also known as The World Chess Federation.

FIDE is an international chess federation based in Switzerland that acts as the governing body for international chess competitions. A team of 5 strong women from India participated in this tournament and came back with victories and the person who guided them through this was Abhijit Kunte. In this article, we’re going to talk about who they are, their achievements and what led them to chess!

1.       WGM/IM Tania Sachdev

2.       WGM Harika Dronavalli

3.       WGM Mary Ann Gomes

4.       WGM Bhakti Kulkarni

5.       WIM Vaishali Rameshbabu

1.      WGM/ IM Tania Sachdev – Born in 1986, Tania Sachdev was born in 1986 in Delhi. Tania was introduced to the world of chess at the age of 6 by her mother and thus began her journey into the world of chess. She won her 1^st international award at just 8 years of age and has never had to look back! In 2005 Tania Sachdev was awarded the Women’s GrandMaster title. Over the years Tania has played many prominent international chess matches and was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2019.

2.      WGM Harika Dronavalli – Harika Dronalli was born in 1991 in Guntur and won her first national championship before she turned 9! Harika Dronavalli is the 2^nd Indian Woman to have been given the women grandmaster title. Harika Dronavalli was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award in the year 2006-2007 by the Government of India for her exceptional performance in sports.

3.      WGM Mary Ann Gomes – Born in 1989, Mary Ann Gomes is a Kolkata born chess player who was given the women’s grandmaster title in 2008 by FIDE. In 1999 Mary Ann Gomes won her first Asian Youth Chess Championship in Ahmedabad in the girls under 10 categories and has since then won many national and international chess championships.

4.      WGM Bhakti Kulkarni – Born in 1992, Bhakti Kulkarni was given the Women’s Grand Master title in 2012 making her Goa’s first International Master. Bhakti is the 6^th Indian woman to have been given this title. In 2016 she won the Asian Chess Women Championship.

5.      WIM Vaishali Rameshbabu – Vaishali Rameshbabu was our team’s youngest chess player. Born in 2001 Vaishali ranks 2^nd in India and 12^th in the world in the chess U16 category. She’s won many championships over the years including the Girls World Youth Chess Championship in the Under 14s and 12s category. In 2016 she won the Women International Master title.

A coach is someone who provides guidance, motivates and supports the team in real-time during the events while most of us provide support virtually. The person who supported the Women’s Team and guided them into winning is Grand Master Abhijit Kunte.

Abhijit Kunte is a Major Dhyan Chand awardee from Pune. Abhijit Kunte was awarded the Grandmaster title in the year 2000 and has won many national and international awards for India. Abhijit Kunte believes in coaching young minds and guiding them in their chess journey and has helped coach many students.

In Conclusion – Winning the silver medal at FIDE was a proud moment for all Indian’s as this was our 1^st win in this category. All our chess players are amazing and have been doing amazing work in their field. We wish them well in all of their future endeavours. 

As parents, we always strive to do what’s best for our children. We’re constantly looking for ways to better their life and skills for them to learn. Chess is also known as the brain game is an excellent way to give your child the right skills he requires to grow. Now that you know that chess is a brilliant board game to learn and spend time on than playing video games online or watching YouTube videos, the question parents must ask themselves is when do we start teaching our kid chess and what’s the right age for it?

Grand Master Abhijit Kunte who started playing chess at the age of 5, wishes that he had someone who’d introduce the game to him when he was younger perhaps when he was 3 years old. While you’re never too late to start something new it’s always beneficial to start learning something from a young age. In this article, we’re going to elaborate on the various benefits chess has on your mental and physical health –

1.      Increases IQ – It’s been observed that those who play chess have a significantly higher IQ level than those who don’t. The reason behind this is chess is a game which requires fluid reasoning, processing speed, concentration and memory. When a child starts playing chess at an early age all of these skills start developed early thus helping to increase their IQ.

2.      Improves Spatial Skills –Spatial ability is the capacity to understand, reason, and remember spatial relations among objects or space. In a game of chess players must reason with themselves and justify their move. They must also anticipate their opponent’s future moves and plan accordingly. Spatial skill is an important life skill which is best when developed at an early age which can be achieved easily by playing chess.

3.      Helps in the development of the Prefrontal Cortex –The prefrontal cortex is a part of the frontal lobe which is responsible for planning, personality development, and complex behaviors. The prefrontal cortex is fully developed by the age of 25. Chess is a game which requires planning, and reasoning which helps in the faster development of the prefrontal cortex.

4.      Exercise to both sides of the brain – It’s said that while playing chess your brain utilizes both parts of the brain as it requires reasoning and imagination, Chess is considered to be the workout of your brain.

5.      Faster learning curve – Chess introduces your child to math, problem solving skills, helps in concentration and also improves memory. All of these are strong building blocks for a bright future.

In Conclusion –

For the healthy all-round development of your child, all of these skills are essential which can be developed in one place and is also a fun activity for your child. In today’s world where kids are more invested in playing video games and mindlessly watching videos online, introducing them to a game that allows for them to grow is crucial. Chess is one of the oldest games in the world making it one of the best sport for your child to learn from an early age.

We at Kindersports believe in the power of education and believe that strong chess players need to be nurtured and given the best resources for them to grow up to their truest potential. At our online chessmates program our courses are designed by International chess players and are some of the best teachers in the industry who provide quality education to your child. Begin your child’s chess journey now. For more information – https://kindersports.in/ 

Do you remember a time when you played chess at home, with a family member and all the others had you surrounded, and it was an evening well spent?

Kindersports #ekgameharroj initiative made to spread happiness, warmth, and a way for friends, family members, colleagues to bond with each other and leave the stresses they have outside and engage in a war on the gameboard.

Playing one game of chess every day has proven to have many benefits on your mental as-well-as your physical health. It’s a great way to spend time as well as do something meaningful. Kindersports believes that chess is a game of the mind that requires planning, imagination, anticipation, wait, and most importantly it is a war on the game board.

Being confined to our homes and living during a time of economic distress has been tough for everyone. If there’s a lesson from the pandemic then it’s the importance of relationships and being connected to the ones we love.

The Ekgameharroj initiative was taken to tackle mental health issues and to help maintain healthy brain cells. A simple game of chess can provide the following benefits to your life –

1.       Helps in easing anxiety – Chess is a game that requires concentration and observed that chess facilitates a sense of calm and helps manage anxiety and turbulent thoughts.

2.       Enhance your critical thinking skills – In a game of chess players are required to think fast and solve problems as they play. Playing this sort of game leads to analytical thinking whilst developing the ability to evaluate and anticipate future scenarios. This skill also gets forwarded to other aspects of your life when it’s made a part of your daily routine.

3.       Boosts creativity – Before you make a move on the chessboard you play the player in your mind which means that you’ve already anticipated the next moves your opponent is going to make. This requires creativity.

Playing a game of chess every day has been significantly linked to boosting one’s creativity and similar to your thinking skills, these skills will also permeate to the other aspects of your life.

4.       Improved brain health and function – Your brain is the second most important part of your body after the heart. The way we take care of our heart is by eating healthy, eating right, and working out. Similarly, our brain requires some mental workout too and chess provides that. 

Playing a game of chess helps stimulate the growth of dendrites which sends signals to other parts of your body and optimizes neural communication. Think of it as food for your brain.

In Conclusion –

Chess is a game with many benefits. Through our Ekgameharroj initiative, we want to bring back some old rituals where you played a game of chess with your friends after work or during a break to help reduce the work stress but also for a way through which people stay connected. We’ve seen adults play chess with their parents, parents teaching their child how to play the game, colleagues taking a break from chess and playing a game online. We urge every one of you, no matter what your level, to play a game every day and see the difference it makes in your life.