I’ll again raise Anish’s issue in Parliament: TMC MP
The Statesman | 17 April 2025
City lad four-year-old Anish Sarkar after becoming world’s youngest-rated player by earning his first FIDE rating is a pride for the state and also the nation.
The Kaikhali resident was recently discussed in Parliament for his skill set when Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee asked the central government what steps the sports ministry was taking to support and encourage the Kolkata boy.
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The Trinamul Congress MP, Ritabrata Banerjee feels very passionately about Anish’s success. “Such occurrences are not usual. It would be very disappointing if the nation does not invest in a talent like him. The nation has to take responsibility for the development of national talents. If Bobby Fisher and Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov did well, their respective nations invested in them. I’m not at all satisfied with the Union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya reply to my question. I will again raise the issue in Parliament.”
Union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya had replied on the issue in Parliament: “For promotion and development of chess at national level the government has recognized All India Chess Federation (AICF) as the NSF. The government supplements the efforts of recognised NSFs, including the AICF, by providing financial assistance towards training of athletes, which includes all requisite facilities for their preparations.”
The mother of the boy says they have been encouraging Anish in his game since he started playing chess at 2.8 years, sometime in 2023 October.
Anish’s family is shielding him from all external forces as the limelight is on him right now. “We are not too keen on the hype around him. He is just a child and we are also from middle class background. We want to keep us and him away from the limelight. We want him to play like any other child and not get irritated with all the attention,” said Anish’s mother.
The parents, mother a housewife and father a schoolteacher, have never played chess. “We had introduced him to all kinds of sports. He did not attend pre-school. That was also the time when Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa was visiting Kolkata for an event. We presented Anish with a chess board. We noticed his interest in chess commentary or chess programmes on television, so we started explaining to him about the points system and the moves, which he keenly followed,” said Anish’s mother.
The upper nursery student of St. James School’s proficiency in numbers was another reason why he enjoys playing the game. The boy now trains with a special group led by India’s second-ever GM Dibyendu Barua.
Mr Barua said: “When Anish got his ELO rating he was 3.8 years old while he started attending our academy at 3.2 years, where we usually do not accept students below five years old but in his case we saw talent and potential. We knew he would get a rating but this fast was a surprise for us.”
“We will wait to see how he behaves when he grows up a little more and the pressure of studies comes into play. Right now he doesn’t understand the challenges that lie ahead of him and is just focusing on his game.
The boy, who idolises five-time World Chess champion Magnus Carlsen, spends maximum time at the academy after attending school and his mother rues that when he is back with the family, he is exhausted and goes off to sleep.
Mr Barua, who was the Chef de mission at the chess Olympiad, where Indians won both in the men’s and women’s categories, said: “He has to go far. He has the will, is full of energy and can concentrate for long hours without getting irritated easily. But it is hard to predict how far he will go. We at the academy are giving him full support. Anish will start playing in the under-7 category. This year, he will start playing in tournaments, which is very essential for exposure.”
GM Barua says it is encouraging to note that chess was being discussed in the Parliament. Chess has seen huge growth in India, including Bengal. Anish’s news will serve as inspiration to other parents to enlist their children to this sport. “The central govt has a scheme where it supports young talent who have potential. Names for this have to go to the national chess federation from the state federations. It has to be listed with the national chess federation.