Gandhinagar, 27 August 2012

-Swami Vivekananda women’s chess event – 2012 was organized today in Gandhinagar’s Mahatma mandir. The event was participated by 3957 chess players.

-The event was organized by Gujarat government’s Youth, Cultural Activities Department, Sports Authority of Gujarat, Gujarat Ches Association and NIIT.

-Five-time world champion Vishwanathan Anand graced the event. Anand was welcomed by Chief Minister Narendra Modi and former Deputy Prime Minister Shri LK Advani.

-Gujarat’s Chess player Dhyani Dave played chess with 150 women players simultaneously.

-148 blind women too were present here. The Chief Minister honored them by presenting Limca book or world record certificate.

“Chess should be developed as a family game, as an ideal game to establish victory of self over mind,” says Narendra Modi

In a first ever sports festival of its kind and scale in the country, a record 3,957 women of Gujarat took part the Swami Vivekanand Mahila Chess Mahotsav- 2012 held at Mahatma Memorial in Gandhinagar today.

The sports festival was organized to showcase women’s prowess in this specialized game to mark Vivekakand’s year-long sesquicentennial birth anniversary programme. It was jointly organized by Gujarat Government’s Youth Services & Cultural Affairs Department, Sports Authority of Gujarat and NIIT.

World chess champion and five times grand master Vishwanath Anand also applauded women chess players on the occasion. He praised Gujarat’s initiative for arranging Swami Vivekanand Chess Mahotsav.

Gujarat’s women chess icon and star Dhyani Dave playing the game simultaneously with 150 women players was another highlight of the sports festival. Today’s participants included 148 sightless women playing the game under one roof, as they entered Limca Book of Records. There were 26 physically challenged women chess players also.

Speaking on the occasion, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Mr. Modi said that chess is an ideal psychological game to establish victory of self over mind. It requires sharp intellect, poise and patience as it also helps reduce stress. He wished chess is played at every home and it becomes a family game. Chess has the power to take India to the zenith in this age of knowledge. He said that chess is considered to be a man’s game and these women players busted the myth.

Mr. Modi reposed confidence on the people of Gujarat and particularly youth to expose certain people bent on misguiding and misleading Gujarat and deflect it from the path of development. He earnestly appealed to the Prime Minister to follow Gujarat’s path and see the change in India’s pitiable condition.

The Chief Minister felicitated the winners, sightless players and the star players.

Former Deputy Prime Minister and senior BJP Lok Sabha member from Gandhinagar L.K. Advani had a word of praise for the farsightedness of Gujarat Chief Minister in visualizing sports events of this scale and novelty and creating the necessary infrastructure for the same.

Sports Minister Fakirbhai Vaghela complimented all the 3,957 women chess players, placing Gujarat in the sports map of India. He said that there is a scheme to build sports complex in 26 districts, while 11 are already in place.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included NIIT Chairman Rajendra Pawar, representatives of Limca Book of Record, Sports and Cultural Affairs Secretary Bhagyesh Jha and Sports Authority Director-General Vikas Sahay and a large number of aficionados to cheer chess players.