Visually impaired ex-chess champ is leading a movement to boost blind chess

Dr Charudatta Jadhav with Sachin TendulkarAt 49 Dr Charudatta Jadhav could have been the hero that the country needed alongside Indian chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand But in 2004 Borivlibased Jhadhav who is the first Indian blind chess player to be awarded an international rating abruptly decided to end his sporting career At the time Jadhavs rating was 2053 at the Commonwealth chess tournament mdash its a feat that is yet to be surpassed by any visually impaired chess player from India I made the decision for the greater glory of chess in India said Jadhav also the head of TCS Accessibility Centre of ExcellenceNot known to many Jadhav who lost his vision when he was 13 years old after being diagnosed with retinal detachment has been slowly yet steadily working on building an environment for holistic development of visually impaired chess players The All India Chess Federation for the Blind AICFB which he established in 1997 was the first attempt at creating a platform to improve the playing standards of the game among the blind Over 20 years on after successfully having launched Talk64 a specially designed speechenabled chess software for the blind and the worlds first DAISY chess book mdash book with audio and text synchronised mdash Jadhav last year launched Radio Chess the worlds first dedicated Internet radio for chess for blindAvailable on Google Store one can download the app and update themselves on the latest developments in the game while also receiving online coaching and professional guidance Chess is a studious game and involves a lot of theory So you have to constantly update yourself with new literature and apply that knowledge in tournaments locally and abroad said Jadhav on why he decided to start the online broadcast channelThe game he insists has special relevance for the visually impaired because it is the only sport where the blind are at par with the sighted They not only compete with regular players in mainstream sporting events there is also no concession given to them This sense of equality has really boosted their confidence said JadhavBut the actual difference is in the kind of training and availability of infrastructure for their training Also there are very few professional coaches in the country who can train the blind With the kind of constraints we have visually impaired chess players who want to pursue the game professionally can only attend coaching camps and this involves effort time and cost he saidThis is where Radio Chess comes in The blind receive most of their knowledge through a hearing medium I thought this channel could hence be used to impart training So there are certain training programmes which have been prerecorded and then later broadcasted For instance in the past weve broadcasted a series of lectures on how best to open the game So people can sit at home and learn this The radio is also being used to air commentary of live games from across the globe so that players aspiring to represent the country receive a movebymove analysis from a coachIts these consistent efforts on Jadhavs part that has now made visually challenged players from India a force to reckon with In 2008 we only had seven rated blind chess players In just 10 years we now have 180plus rated players from the country he said We have covered a lot of ground in a short span of time and it wont be long before we become No 1Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates