Bhubaneswar, July 13: Odia girls Kiran Manisha Mohanty and Aparajita Gochhikar are trying to bag a medal at the Commonwealth chess championship in Port Elizabeth, while youngster Debasish Das is getting ready for the upcoming Grandmaster tournament in Czech Republic.

Chess has become one of the most popular games among the youngsters of the state over the past decade. But, there are plenty of issues plaguing the growth of the game here. Lack of coaching and sponsorships are the biggest challenges, claim veterans. Over the years, the number of tournaments conducted in the state throughout the year has risen significantly.

Satya Ranjan Pattnaik, who has been imparting chess training in the twin cities for a decade, now expresses this concern. “At a junior level, one can have group workshops, but a player such as Debasis needs a personal coach. Odisha has dearth of quality coaches,” said Pattnaik. He said today the Odia players were not merely content with participation in national events but sought to win them. “The need of the hour is to invest sums such as Rs 16 lakh at the grassroots level. Players outside twin cities have little or no training and exposure,” said Pattnaik.

Woman Grandmaster Padmini Rout says getting a sponsorship is indeed a headache. “Having a personal coach and travelling across and outside India is a costly affair. I depend heavily on sponsorships,” said Padmini.

In 2009, the All India Chess Federation appointed the Odisha Chess Ad-hoc Committee to look into the matters of chess in the state after suspending the lackadaisical Odisha State Chess Association. Soon the All Odisha Chess Association (AOCA) came into being. Today, chess associations of 22 districts are affiliated to it. The number of rated players from the state stands at 370 with youngsters Debasish Das and Swayangshu Satyapragyan only a few points shy of becoming the first Grandmasters from the state.

But, the players still find it difficult to get the right training. “To keep going in chess, you need to defeat international players much above your rating. That is only possible when you have individual coaching facilities and complete focus. Here, chess institutes organise workshops with international players. These are group workshops that do not offer much on an individual level,” said Debashish.

The AOCA is, however, hopeful of a better future. The association has recently started reimbursing travelling and food expenses for players officially selected for national events. It has also developed a pool of 11 technical arbitrators, who are capable of conducting big events. “First, we would push for chess to be made a part of school curriculum. Second, we want to introduce model-coaching academies. Last, we would like to come up with an office,” said Vivek Tibarewal, secretary of the association.

“We must resolve the issues ourselves. Depending upon the state government will only make matters slower,” said another AOCA member.

At present, the AOCA in association with the Dhenkanal District Chess Association is hosting the 53rd Odisha State Senior Chess Championship in Dhenkanal. “Close to 100 participants from all over the state are contesting in the championship. The top four will be selected to represent the state in the prestigious National Challengers Championship that Debashish had won last time,” said Gobinda Chandra Mohapatra, an executive member of the AOCA.