The Bihar government has decided to promote chess in schools on the lines of Gujarat, where chess is part of the syllabus.

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi announced the plan while inaugurating the Khadi India 47th National Junior Chess Championship for Boys and 32nd National Junior Chess Championship for Girls being held at Patliputra Sports complex in Kankerbagh on Sunday.

Modi said: 'In Gujarat, chess is popular only because it is part of the school syllabus. The Bihar government has decided to promote chess at the school level and in the coming days it will be part of the syllabus too.'

He added that chess is a mind game and helps in sharpening young minds.

In 2008, when now BJP national president Amit Shah was the home minister of Gujarat and also Gujarat State Chess Association president, he had introduced the game in schools. In Gujarat, students are offered chess coaching to boost thinking. The Gujarat government conducts training programmes for teachers to hone the chess skills of students.

'Chess is a mind game and helps young people learn strategy, logic, planning and other disciplines,' he said.

Though Modi didn't elaborate the manner in which chess will be promoted in Bihar, all appreciated the announcement.

Kumar Gaurav, the champion of 2016 National Junior Chess Championship for Boys held at Rajahmundry (Andhra Pradesh), said: 'The announcement is a big step because it will help promote chess in Bihar.'

The 15-year-old from Araria, who has participated in several chess championships, however, said in Bihar chess is less popular because neither are there government facilities to promote the game nor are there sponsors.

Gaurav, who is playing chess since he was seven years, said his lawyer father Davendra Yadav had first advocated for the game to him.

Though chess is awaiting government attention in Bihar, many players from the southern states who participated in the game in Patna on Sunday, said their governments promote chess in their states.

Muthaiah A.L., a student of SRM University, Chennai, and one of the participants at the tournament, said: 'We have been playing chess since school days. My school conducts chess tournaments at regular intervals.'

Like Muthaiah who has come from Tamil Nadu for the tournament, around 200 players from 26 states are taking part in the Under-19 championship.

The championship is sponsored by Khadi India, an autonomous body under the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME).

Khadi board chairman V.K. Saxena and All India Chess Federation secretary Bharat Singh Chouhan, state sports minister Krishna Kumar Rishi and championship convener Navin Upadhyaya were present among others at the inauguration.

Saxena said: 'As the khadi board decided to be sponsors of the tournament it will work towards promoting the game in the country. Both khadi and chess require concentration. Khadi handloom work requires minute detailing which requires concentration.'

To promote khadi, All India Chess Federation secretary Bharat Singh Chouhan said all the chess players participating in the championship will have a khadi dress in their sports kits.