Top-ranked partially blind chess player Kishan Gangolli on the verge of quitting sport

What's the story?

Chess has become a well-known sport in India in recent times following the international success of players like Vishwanathan Anand, but, if you thought it is a well-paying sport, you may be in for a surprise.

One of India's top-ranked blind players Kishan Gangolli, 26, is on the verge of quitting the sport altogether after realising that his blind chess career can only get him so far in terms of recognition and monetary success, since the world of blind chess has no real standing in the eyes of the Indian government.

In case you didn't know...

Chess is the only sport in which the visually impaired players compete with the sighted players making it unique in its own way. In India however, blind chess struggles to even have a standing altogether.

The heart of the matter

The problem faced by Gangolli is one that is a genuine concern especially since the Indian government has only barely recognized the Indian Blind Chess Association, making it supremely hard for the blind and visually paired players to gain any sort of importance or progress in the sport at the level the sighted players perform.

There is also an acute lack of money in the game largely down to the Indian government's ignorance towards blind chess. No travel abroad to play against the world's best can be done since there is not enough money to go in the first place.

What's next?

Gangolli's possible departure from the sport will leave a void in a game that is still barely on the radar of Indian sport.

Author's take

It is sad to see the condition of blind chess in India as the government continues to ignore the demands of players who could even be among the world's best.