Jamshedpur, May 12: For years, Neeraj Mishra taught youngsters to ponder, scheme and make their moves on the chequered board. Now, he has the honour of nurturing and improving the game.

Mishra (39), an international master (IM), recently became the first coach in eastern India to be recognised as a Fide trainer.

Fide — the global chess body — nominates trainers after an intense selection process to develop the game at the grassroots. Fide trainers can teach senior players and teachers across the world.

Mishra got his trainer certificate after attending an assessment programme in Chennai organised by the All India Chess Federation between May 1 and 7. G.B. Joshi from Delhi and Visweswaran and Hariharan from Tamil Nadu were also made Fide trainers.

Mishra said the honour was given to those who were engaged in coaching. “It is one of the five coaching degrees handed over by Fide. The other four are senior trainer, instructor, national instructor and development instructor,” he said, adding he was planning to take up a coaching assignment in Singapore.

The coach, however, admitted that the concept of Fide trainer was yet to be understood in the country. “It’s a new thing in India. But things would set in gradually,” said the IM.

Mishra started coaching in 1990 but became a professional trainer in 2003. The former Tata Steel employee runs a chess training centre under Tata Urban Development Centre at ECC Flats in Kadma.

Mishra emerged as a junior Asian runner-up behind Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand and was part of the national outfit that claimed the bronze in the Asian meet in Delhi in 1983. He finished second in the Parkway IM tournament at Singapore in 1989 and surpassed 2400 in the Elo rating table and become an international master in 1991.