IIT Madras unveils tech-driven initiatives to help India become a global chess powerhouse

New Delhi: As Indian talent continues to excel in the field of chess, like Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, IIT Madras announced new initiatives to propel the country into a global chess powerhouse using advanced technology.

The Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA) at IIT Madras showcased the initiatives aimed at enhancing fan engagement, combating cheating in chess federations, and expanding the grassroots level, in the national capital.

“We will be very happy to collaborate through IIT Madras CESSA to support products that can be integrated into sports bodies,” said Sandip Pradhan, Director-General, Sports Authority of India (SAI).

As part of its sports education programme, IIT Madras aims to offer courses for skill development as well as particular actions to train various actors in India’s sports value chain.

These initiatives will benefit athletes, physical education instructors, coaches, referees, analysts, physiologists, nutritionists, umpires, sports presenters, and management staff, said the institute.

The IIT Madras CESSA expects to publish five new sports courses on the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning platform (NPTEL) in the coming months.

“IIT Madras is very keen to develop such platforms with an objective to make ‘Bharat’ a global chess powerhouse,” said Professor V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras.

All the sports courses launched will have significant industry connections as well as linkages to diverse projects in sports science and product development for athletes and sports federations.

Some of these courses will be created in collaboration with top players too, according to IIT Madras.

Students will also gain experience designing analytics for media platforms, as well as exposure to various sports tech firms.

Professor Mahesh Panchagnula, dean (alumni and corporate relations), IIT Madras and head of CESSA said that today, IIT Madras has launched innovative technology-driven initiatives in sports, “aiming to revolutionise sports education, empower chess federations with anti-cheating solutions, and pioneer grassroots training programmes”.