Equipment, coach fee, frequent travelling with wards make chess an expensive sport

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, July 23

Many would think chess is not as expensive as certain other sports where one has to buy kits, follow a strict and costly diet supplements or shell out money for buying equipment. However, it’s a myth.

While people would only see chess players in simple clothes, sitting on a chair and making moves, there’s a lot behind the making of a chess player. In the recent chess nationals being held at the Panjab University gymnasium hall, around 325 players from across the nation were participating, and this was an age group event. “One can think of the number of participants in an open age group event. The more the number of players, the more expensive is a sport to learn. Take example of cricket, where one can find numerous coaches, but for getting the best one has to shell out a good fee,” said Anidham Gupta, a parent accompanying his ward.

On an average, a coach in India charges a minimum of Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per hour to teach the basics of chess. And this is an estimated minimum charge. “We have a common banter among ourselves for this particular topic — the one who learns chess won’t face monetary issues for the rest of his or her life. There are some coaches in the western and southern states of India, who charge even Rs 5,000 per hour to teach chess lessons. And, this is not limited to youngsters or age specific groups. There are many who are retired and are spending a good time learning chess,” said Dr Vipnesh Bhardwaj, general secretary, Chandigarh Chess Association.

“Over the period, the government is also supporting the chess players by offering jobs. We have our own Chandigarh boys working in the Indian Railways (under sports quota of chess). Many companies, including the ONGC, Indian Oil, are also very open about ensuring a safe future for excellent chess players,” he added. And if one adds to equipment, a chess clock costs around Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000, barring other expenses of chess pieces, chess boards, score sheet and others.

“In individual sport events, travelling for participating in tournaments also makes a hole in the pocket. Especially during the teenage years, parents can’t just leave their children to go to some other state and participate. Unlike in team games, where one remains attached to a group, the expenses in the individual sport events are much difficult to manage,” said Kavitri Mangla, a parent from Telangana.

She further added, “The entry fee of the event is also high in such competitions. The ordinary entry fee is Rs 1,250 and special entry fee is Rs 6,250. And if any player fails to finish among the top 20, then he/she won’t get any prize money.”