Teaching the right moves across the board

K. Jeywin, a Standard IV scholar, and M.K. Shaoren, of Standard VI, are locked in a recreation of chess. Both make their moves — Ruy Lopez (Pawn e4) and Sicilian Defence (Pawn c5) — at the same time as Nithilan S, an LKG scholar, keenly watches the contest. And the two are monitored by their coach R. Raghavan at his residence in Avadi.

Mr. Raghavan, 31, has been teaching underprivileged and some in another way abled college students in chess freed from value for the previous few months. An engineer, he labored at a non-public engineering school in the metropolis for 4 years earlier than dropping his job.

“After seeing Viswanathan Anand, I learnt chess on my own from books, and have attended many tournaments. I am also an international chess rated player. Last year, I saw Sakthivel, a Standard I student from Arakkonam, playing chess, and his family wanted someone to coach him because it did not have sufficient funds. So I started travelling to Arakkonam whenever I was free and coached him,” says Mr. Raghavan, whose father S. Raju is a retired MTC driver and mom R. Vijayalakshmi is a housewife.

In November 2019, Sakthivel took half at an official world document try and obtained the Unico world document certificates. But the lockdown started a couple of months later, and Mr. Raghavan couldn’t journey. “I also trained Hamilton Prabhu, a differently abled boy, and he took part in State-level tournaments,” he says.

Now, he teaches underprivileged college students who method him. “I go to their homes if they do not have money to travel,” he says.

Suganthy Vinodhini, founding father of the Arakkonam-based Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Educational Trust, who coordinated Sakthivel’s teaching, stated the teaching was of nice assist to the boy. “His parents are daily wage earners, and his aunt was teaching him chess. Owing to COVID-19, the coaching has stopped,” she says.

R. Arunselvam, 9, and his sister R. Azhagumathi, 10, college students of a authorities college at Perambur Loco Works, had been additionally coached by Mr. Raghavan. “He told us that more than money, he would be happy to see the children come up in life,” stated their mom R. Mala.

Mr. Raghavan stated he needs to create many younger champions. “I can also teach children across the country either in person or offline. It would be convenient if a time slot is allotted on TV channels as people across the country can see it and learn,” he stated, including that he may have helped extra individuals had he continued to have a job.