In the words of five time World Champion Vishy Anand “My passion and love for chess, however, never hindered my education. I did my schooling from Don Bosco, Egmore, Chennai and completed my degree in commerce from Loyola College, Chennai. I kept going to school and then to college. The best part about playing chess was that it never became a reason to stop doing anything else.”

As a parent, helping your child strike balance between the game and academics is about setting realistic goals and having pragmatic views about their strengths and weaknesses. As a chess parent myself, it is recommended we dont push them in either direction but guide our children to self actualise about what they really want.

2. Time Commitment

Chess requires a significant time commitment for practice, tournaments, and studying the game. Parents may be concerned about how much time their child will need to dedicate to chess and how it may affect other aspects of their life, such as family time, extracurricular activities, or social interactions.

This is a solvable problem and is a matter of setting priorities and taking a disciplined approach. We must start by having realistic goals in the progress of chess, secondly, we must ensure that children are not under pressure to achieve a certain level of proficiency or rating points in a given time frame.

As parents, we can calendarize their activity including chess coaching versus other activities such as outdoor play, social interaction, etc.,

3. Financial Considerations

Parents often worry about the financial implications of supporting their child’s chess career and if they will be able to provide the necessary resources for their child’s progress. Thankfully, chess is an economically viable game that requires nearly no physical infrastructure or expensive equipment, capital investments and so on.

From a beginner to an advanced player, they only need access to a smartphone or a laptop with internet access in addition to enrolling in a professional chess academy.
The fee for group sessions is significantly lower than one on one sessions. If you need a detailed counseling session about financial aspects of your child’s chess career, do reach our CEO and chief coach Mithil at king@chessniti.com

4. Psychological Well-Being

Psychological well-being is a valid concern for parents when it comes to their child’s involvement in chess. It is not uncommon to witness children experiencing frustration or even shedding tears after a defeat. However, it’s essential to recognize that chess, like any other sport, has two sides to it. It offers both victories and defeats, and understanding this duality is crucial for fostering a healthy mindset. Consider this, in 2022, five time world champion Magnus Carlsen lost three times to a 16 year old Praggnanandhaa!

As parents, it is our responsibility to not put any pressure on the child to perform and teach them to enjoy the learning process.

It is equally important to guide them in not self imposing pressure upon themselves. Here’s a great example of that from the chess world. Super grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, who now identifies himself as a ‘online streamer’ rather than a professional chess player has climbed up to be world number 2 in the charts. He keeps winning tournaments after others, and attributes the winning streak to his renewed mindset. In his own words, “I’m under no pressure to win chess tournaments, since I have a day job as a streamer.”

Chess, if done right, helps raise resilient individuals who approach challenges with a positive mindset.

5. Long-Term & Professional Opportunities

On a train journey once, a stranger sitting next to a young Vishy Anand asked him what he does for a living, and Vishy said he’s a professional chess player. So, the stranger paused for a moment and responded saying, “Unless you are Vishy Anand, there’s a very limited chance of you making it big in the chess world”. A puzzled Vishy nodded and kept to himself for the rest of the journey.

This anecdote is over 25 years ago when India had barely two grand masters, but in the world where we live today, chess has taken center stage and India is soaring to new heights everyday with 82 grandmasters!

Telangana CM recently announced a 2.50 cr reward for chess player Praneeth Vuppala who became India’s 82nd Grandmaster and a 50 lakhs reward to 19-year-old chess champion, Veerlapalli Nandita. Grandmasters like R Praggnanandhaa, Adhiban Bhaskaran are on the scholarship / pay rolls of IOCL, while Vidit Gujrathi, Koneru Humpy are backed by ONGC. Junior player Arjun Erigaisi won a sponsorship deal with Quantbox for over Rs.12 cr. To top all this, the Tamil Nadu government spent over 100 cr to organize the 2022 Chess Olympiad.

Chess may have originated in India a few thousand years ago, but now is the best time to be in it.

If your child is showing inclination towards being a professional chess player, we recommend you to help them realize their dream by providing maximum encouragement, a conducive learning environment and professional coaching.

It’s important for parents to openly communicate with their child, understand their aspirations and desires, and address any concerns in a supportive and balanced manner. Each child’s chess journey is unique, and finding a harmonious approach that considers both their passion for chess and their overall well-being is essential.