Anand to herald 'chess revolution' in rural areas

Chennai, Dec 12 (UNI) Grand Master Vishwanathan Anand today said there was a need to take the 'chess revolution', to the rural areas also.

Addressing a press conference after playing a 45-minute simultaneous raid chess contest with the winners of the the annual National Chess Master 2006 initiative by the NIIT, for which he is the brand ambassador, Anand said he was happy that the number of children taking to chess in urban areas.

''But now we are trying to take the game to rural areas'', he said, adding this could be achieved through NIIT's ongoing initiative.

Anand said this year NIIT's national level school initiative attracted participants from 4, 300 schools including 75000 students in the age group of 8 to 17 years.

''But we have to keep on working'', Anand said and observed that the media focus for the NIIT&Mind Champion Award named after him had helped to take chess as a competitive sport to urban areas.

''Lot of academies have been coming up in the urban areas. But now we have to reach the rural areas through NIIT'', Anand said.

UNI VV AY KN1901