The rise and success of India's Grand Master Viswanathan Anand in the international arena in recent years has certainly given a fillip to the indoor game in the country where cricket and tennis continue to attract the younger generation because of the thrill involved in those games.But much before Anand emerged as a strong contender for the World Championship title and the euphoria that followed in India, there was one commercial institution in the country which had the foresight and vision as early as in the early 1970s to recognise the importance of this `mind game' and to give financial support and encouragement at the national level.
To Mr L N Jhunjhunwala, Chairman Emeritus LNJ Bhilwara Group, goes the credit for giving the game of chess a shot in the arm by regularly organising national and international tournaments, to create an awareness among children. He took the initiative to organise Bhilwara tournaments in which several leading Indian and foreign chess experts had participated.
In a
discussion with Express News Service, Mr Jhunjhunwala spoke of his institution's contribution to the growth of chess in the country and the support he received from various state and central governments to achieve his goal.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q: Mr Jhunjhunwala, at a time when nobody, leave alone a leading business house, even thought of supporting any sport in this country, what prompted you to take up chess for promotion ?
LNJ: There were at least three main reasons why I took up the task of promoting this ancient game. First and foremost reason was that I myself am a keen chess player. You can say, I am obsessed with the game. Secondly, I had observed over the years, being a keen follower of various Indian sports, that we Indians often fail as a team, although we may be brilliant individually. Chess was one game where you need not have a team. Just an individual, if he is good enough, can achieve much more than any other team game. And thirdly, chess is the only game which
has no element of chance in it. It is an absolutely intellectual game. I had read and seen several world leaders play this game, including Lenin and Vinoba Bhave.
Q: What was in your mind when you started organising national and international-level tournaments ? What did you aim to achieve ?
LNJ: When we first conducted the first nationals in Delhi we had given ourselves five years to produce 10 International Masters. At that time, we never thought India would ever produce a Grand Master.
Q: Now we have three Grand Masters. You must be a proud man that your efforts in promoting the game are bearing fruit?
LNJ: It may come as a surprise to many that all the three Indian Grand Masters (Anand, Dibyendu Barua and Pravin Thipsay) had all played initially in our Bhilwara Grandmasters'International Tournament.
Q: How did you assess Anand as a future Grand Master and World champion then ?
LNJ: As early as in 1986, Anand had participated in our tournament. Even at that young age we
saw something different in him. He was an intelligent player. He had the support of his parents. That helped him achieve great goals.
Q: Now that Anand has become one of the leading players in the world, what's the next step?
LNJ: That's the crucial question now. After this success, we must ensure more tournaments and more facilities. Our aim at the start was to make chess attractive and there should be good prize money. The idea was to make it a big sport. That has been achieved. Nowadays it costs a lot to organise tournaments. It runs into a few crores. So big industrial houses, actually very big ones must come forward and support the game, then we can have more Grand Masters.
Q: What was the aim behind your starting the Botwinnik Academy ?
LNJ: The academy was founded in 1979 and is located in the USSR House of Soviet Science, Culture and Art in Delhi. It has been named after Botwinnik who was a world champion for 16 years and was awarded the International Grandmasters' title in
1950. This academy is engaged in the promotion and development of chess.Several political leaders, including former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi have visited the academy.
Q: What is your message to those who want to promote the game ?
LNJ: Business houses must take it seriously to adapt the game. Only then, we can expect better results. The game has advanced very much in the last few years. Anand's reaching the World Chamionship final is surely a shot in the arm for Indian chess. We all should feel proud to be Indians as one among us has reached the top. I am sure Anand will emerge the world champion.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
