Odisha invites chess talent: Selection trials for Professional Chess Training Academy to kick off

Bhubaneswar: The Sports & Youth Services Department (DSYS), Odisha has announced the selection trials for aspiring chess players to be inducted into the newly launched Professional Chess Training Academy (Pro-Chess-Ta).

The trials will take place on 9 and 10 December, 2023 at the Pro-Chess-Ta in Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar. The candidates between the ages of 5 and 18 years are invited to participate in the selection trials to appear for the trials, and will be enrolled under three criteria – Beginners, Intermediate and Upper Intermediate.  This event marks the first and important milestone in identifying chess talent and providing them a platform to learn, grow and excel in the sport.

Speaking on the announcement, Director Sports, Siddhartha Das, said, “We are delighted to announce the selection trials to induct fresh talent into the newly-launched Pro-Chess-Ta. It is a very important step towards achieving our objectives behind launching this state-of-art academy in the state. It also provides us a platform to unearth the hidden chess talent, who can be nurtured at the academy from an early and get the best environment to excel at both national and international levels. I wish all the participating candidates the very best.”

Last month, Sports Secretary Vineel Krishna felicitated Indian Grand Masters including R Praggnanandhaa, Koneru Humpy, K Sasikiran, S S Ganguly, Abhijit Kunte, and other chess icons with a memento for their outstanding contributions to the world of chess. The felicitation ceremony also saw Grand Masters distribute prizes to the winners of the All Odisha Open School Pro–Chess–TA Rapid Tournament held in the same month. It was an inspiring event for the chess fraternity of the state.

Apart from launching the first-ever Chess academy in the state, Odisha has initiated Chess –in –schools and will establish as many as 100 Chess training centres in various districts to promote the sport. The Department also conducted a summer camp for the groups of beginner and intermediate levels earlier this year.