The Sarvodaya ICSE School, Nalanchira, the venue of a two-day chess competition organised by The Hindu , bustled with excited students on Tuesday.
Some were seen chatting with their friends while others were engaged in practice before the competition.
The competition was organised by The Hindu in association with Chess Association Kerala and presented by Thyrocare. The competition is one of the many value-added programmes organised by The Hindu In School . As many as 160 students from 10 schools in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Nagercoil took part in the competition.
“I want to be a space scientist if I can’t be a professional chess player,” said one of the participants, Bharathraj, a class VI of Mother India School.
“I have never played in a competition like this before, so I am a bit nervous” said Pranav, a class VIII student of Sarvodaya School. “I like chess since it provides mental exercise,” added Pranav.
Rahul Krishna, a Class VI student of Sarvodaya School, who has won some interschool chess tourneys, said the competition was important as many rated chess players were participating.
Earlier, inaugurating the competition, Mayor V.K. Prasanth said chess was not given enough promotion in the State. “Let this competition help promote this great game of mind and aid in the mental development of our children,” he added.
Hotel Hyacinth, Club Mahindra, and Vasan Dental Care are the co-sponsors of the contest.
