Online Chess Tournament starts for Northeast states
Online Chess Tournament starts for Northeast states

Sikkim: Online Chess Tournament starts for all Northeast states

May 30, 2020: An online chess tournament starts for people belonging to all the eight Northeast states on Wednesday organised by the Sports and Youth Affair Department,  Government of Sikkim in collaboration with Sikkim Chess Association.

The tournament was inaugurated by KN Lepcha, the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Department, Government of Sikkim in the presence of Sports Secretary Kuber Bhandari, and General Secretary Sikkim Chess Association, Deputy Director, Sports Department, Zigmee Y. Lepcha in Gangtok.

“As you know all of us are passing through a monotonous life because of lockdown imposed by the government because it is much essential that such lockdown needs to be imposed in the sense that we have to keep ourselves safe but during this lockdown period what we have experienced that people have locked themselves up in their houses so life has become monotonous automatically. It is just an initiative by the Sports and Youth Affairs Department of Sikkim to start some entertainment sort of thing…sort of a competition among the….yet not among the states and as you know all other games need to have a personal body contact but this is one game we can play online. So, this is an initiative we have taken. ” KN Lepcha mentioned.

This initiative has been taken mainly to break the monotony which has been overcoming people’s lives during this period of lockdown and as an effort to boost the friendship of all the North-Eastern states.

“Number one, to break the monotony which is prevailing because of the lockdown. Secondly, it is to also foster friendship because there are about 160 participants from all the areas of North East participating in it,”  he said.

Sports and Youth Affairs minister Lepcha also took to the occasion to congratulate the sports department for coming up with such an idea.

All eight North East States have registered their participation in the tournament and more than 160 chess players are taking part in it.

Former World champion Vishwanathan Anand had also sent his well-wishing message for the tournament.

“Very, fortunately, when we launched this, we had this message from none other than the world champion, Grandmaster Sir Viswanathan Anand.”  the sports minister mentioned.