Kolkata: The All India Chess Federation (AICF) has rolled out a Budget of Rs 65 crore to propel Indian chess. The AICF held its general body meeting late on Saturday evening in which key initiatives aimed at strengthening the Indian chess ecosystem by providing financial and institutional support for pro as well as grassroots level players were taken.
The launch of programs such as the AICF Pro for national-level players and AICF Popular will make the vision of “Har Ghar Chess” a reality across households.
Several proposals, including a chess development fund, introducing strong financial backing with player contracts and coaching at all levels, financially supporting district and state associations, setting up a state-of-the-art National Chess Arena (NCA) for elite-level training and an AICF Rating system specifically for India will serve as ground-breaking initiatives and drive growth for the Indian chess ecosystem over the coming years.
The recently elected-president of AICF Nitin Narang said: “Players are at the heart of chess and many have to compromise on their passion due to the lack of funds, institutional support, and opportunities. I am committed to making every player’s dream a reality through myriad initiatives in our Rs 65 crore Budget.
We are setting up a chess development fund to ensure that we empower the grassroots level players and bring them to a global level of excellence.”
The AICF initiative of ‘Women In Chess’ will enhance inclusivity and opportunity in chess for women, expanding the Smart Girl Programme with a minimum of 50 annual events, each supported by a Rs 100,000 grant. Further reinforcing this commitment, a 33 per cent reservation for women in several key areas like certification for coaches and arbiters, participation of female arbiters in AICF-recognised events, and inclusion in the Campus Ambassador Programme.
Another key initiative is the ‘corporate chess league’ where the AICF will allow corporates to host AICF-rated tournaments by becoming members. A minimum prize money will be set for AICF-rated events.