FIDE leaders hail India's rise in Chess, stress chess' inclusion at school-level for global growt

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], January 14 (ANI): International Chess Federation (FIDE) President Arkady Dvorkovich said India's rise in chess is a good signal to build a better society, while FIDE's Deputy Chairman, Dana Reizniece, highlighted the importance of introducing chess in schools to spread the sport worldwide.
Speaking at the Social and Educational Chess Conference in Bhubaneswar, FIDE President and former Russian Deputy PM Arkady Dvorkovich highlighted chess as a unifying global sport spanning more than 200 countries and praised India's rise in chess as a positive example of how the game can contribute to building a better society.
"...Chess combines more than 200 countries... The rise of India is a very good signal for what people should do to build a better society...," Arkady Dvorkovich told reporters.
While speaking to ANI, FIDE's Deputy Chair, Dana Reizniece, emphasised that expanding chess globally--especially in less developed countries--depends on introducing it in schools. She highlighted the Social and Educational Chess Conference as a platform to showcase global chess education initiatives, noted chess's inclusion in many continental and regional games, and pointed out e-sports as a new way chess is gaining recognition within the Olympic movement.
"The key to spreading chess worldwide and especially in less developed countries is to introduce chess in schools... We also organised the social and educational chess conference in Bhubaneswar to showcase different programs available worldwide... We are integrated into most continental and regional games... Another new aspect of how chess is being highlighted in the Olympic movement is e-sports...," she told ANI.
In the chess circuit, Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi clinched back-to-back bronze medal wins in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships.
Notably, Arjun became only the second Indian male player, after legendary Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, to achieve a podium finish at the World Rapid Championship. (ANI)