Why the blind love chess

Charudatta Jadhav was 13 when his visual world collapsed. Until then a bright student, Jadhav sank into depression as his old frames of reference became irrelevant.

Today, the 40-year-old is seen as a visionary, for he has designed audio books and software specifically for the blind, and has authored papers on blind schooling. It all goes back to the one sport that pulled him out of the abyss — chess. 

His first sense of self-belief came when he stood first in a district level tournament. He went on to do an MBA, got a job in an IT company, and has done pioneering work in developing software and in organising the community around chess. Thus, when over 150 blind players congregated at Bangalore earlier this month for a national open tournament, it was a tribute both to his work, and to the unique capacity of chess to act as an agent for change.

The Mumbai-based Charudatta, founder of the All India Chess Federation for the Blind, says they have identified 38 schools in 16 states to initiate a programme for professional training.

When the federation started in 1997, its first All India tournament had just three participating states. That has dramatically changed. The circuit now consists of ten to eleven domestic tournaments a year. Sixteen Indian teams have participated in various world events in the last decade — and the last one, for the Chess Olympiad for the Blind in October at Crete, even returned with a gold medal.

One of those who has acquitted himself well is Sri Krishna Udupa, winner of the individual gold at the Chess Olympiad for the Blind in October. Udupa has an ELO rating of 2,000, and was once active on the open circuit, but has now restricted himself to the blind circuit.

Udupa, 42, foresees great prospects for blind players. “The only problem is that we do not have access to the material that sighted players have — like books, software and online competition.” There are 12 blind players on the open circuit with an ELO rating, and Udupa predicts that young players like Darpan Inani and Sai Krishna can match up with the country’s best if they continue to work hard. 

But it is not only in its competitive aspects that chess is important. As the only mainstream sport that the blind can play, it is increasingly being recognised as an important medium of integration with society.

Charudatta himself sees chess as a medium to develop mental faculties. “A lot of research has been done on the role of chess in developing memory and imagination,” he says. “Blind people generally have poor mathematical and analytical abilities. There is no doubt that chess players do better in academics compared to those who don’t play the game.”

There are several barriers left to hurdle, especially social indifference. “Chess is a good medium. We encourage our students to play, but only as recreation,” says ‘Kancho’ Rakum, founder of the Bangalore-based Rakum School for the Blind, which has over 1,000 students.