Ahmedabad, 25 November 2013

Sports Authority of Gujarat has invited Mr. Elizbar Ubilava, a Spanish chess coach to train talented players from the state of Gujarat.The camp was inaugurated today wherein Mr. Ubilava along with other Gujarat based coaches will give special training to 68 players from the state in the coaching camp, which will continue till January 1, 2014.

Promoting all kind of sports in order to bring out talent of state’s youth and thereby making them competing at national and international level is core at the agenda of the State Government. Khel Mahakumbh has thrown many talented players over last three years and it is now time to pay special attention by organising such camps by world renounced coach. Since chess is one of the most popular games in the world, Gujarat is paying special attention to this game. Special camps like this and the guidance of national and international coaches made available under this camp will go a long way in realizing the dream of young players from the state.

Addressing the function, Mr. Ubilava said, “The limelight hogged by the recent encounter between legendary players Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen clearly shows the growing importance of the game of chess. The game seems to be gaining enormous popularity in India too. I am very delighted that state like Gujarat has come up with special initiatives like special coaching camp for chess, which facilitates special training to the budding players.”

The Swami Vivekanand Non-residential Center of Excellence Scheme offers various benefits to talented players of the state. Benefits include stipend, nutrition allowance, transport allowance, medical insurance, sports kit etc. In addition, high quality coaching from Indian and foreign coaches is provided at designated Centers of Excellence (COE).The scheme covers 23 sports and chess is one of them. The monetary value of the benefits offered to the participants works out to be about Rs. 66,400 per annum. At present 43 players from Gujarat have been selected under the scheme. Apart from the financial benefit, the players will be coached by expert coaches from time to time.

Mr. Ubilava, an international coach from Spain, will give special coaching to the players for 15 days during the camp. As a player, he took part in various national and international chess tournament during the period from 1965 to 1990 and won titles such as Master of Soviet Union, 1967, Champion of Georgia, 1970 to 1975, International Gran Master of chess, 1989. He is winner of more than 30 different national and international chess events. His career as a coach is also equally impressive. He was trainer of double times female world vice-champion N. Loseliani (1974-1978), trainer of five times female world champion N. Gaprindasvili (1978-1987), trainer of five times world champion A. Karpov (1987-1990) and trainer of world champion V.Anand (1994-2004). He also worked as trainer of India’s Olympic teams (male and female) for the year 2004, 2006 & 2008. Since 2003, he owns the title of FIDE Senior Trainer. In the recent years, he has imparted training to numerous chess players such as S. Mamedyarov, K. Sasikiran, P.Harikrisna, P.Negi, I.Salgado, A.Gupta, H.Dronevali, B. Adhiban, E. Iturrizaga and T.Sachdev.

Out of total 68 students selected for the camp, 43 are part of Sports Authority of Gujarat’s Center of Excellence Scheme and remaining 25 players are selected on the basis of their performances in the State and inter-state school tournaments. The players participating in the camp also include Ankit Rajpara, Gujarat’s youngest Grand Master Norm holder & also state’s youngest International master, Darpan Inani, who represented India in World Junior Blind Chess Championship (U20) in August 2013 and won bronze medal for the country and Dhyani Dave, who has Limca Book of World Record for playing chess with maximum number of people simultaneously in 2012 in her name.

Ankit has also won National Child award for exceptional achievement in chess and represented India six times in Asian youth chess championship & in World youth chess championship too. Even after losing eye sight at the age of 3 due to infectious disease, Darpan has rightly proved that chess is a game of vision not visibility. This differently abled chess player from Vadodara has also represented India in World blind chess Championship (Team event) at Chennai in August, 2012 and was placed 6th. In World blind chess Championship (Junior) at Greece, held in August, 2011, too, he represented India and was ranked 8th. He has also played national ‘A’ chess championship at Mumbai in 2010 and became National youngest Champion. Dhyani is the first & only Girl from Gujarat to become Women International Master in 2013, to achieve Gold Medal in Asian Youth Chess Championship under U-14 Girls category in 2005 at New Delhi and to win Gold Medal in Commonwealth Chess Championship in U-16 Girls Group in 2004 at Mumbai. She was also awarded the title of Woman Fide Master by Federation of International Chess –World Chess Federation in 2006.