Technology Can Propel India into A Global Chess Powerhouse

Dr Sivaram Ambikarasan from the Department of Data Science & AI at IITM emphasised the need for a comprehensive digital platform for chess that could engage fans, train players, and provide educational resources.

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DR SIVARAM AMBIKARASAN

Department of Data Science and AI at IIT Madras

Dr Sivaram Ambikarasan from the Department of Data Science and AI at IIT Madras, who holds a PhD in computational and mathematical engineering, a master’s degree in statistics from Stanford University and is an accomplished chess player, delivered an inspiring and thought-provoking vision talk on technology that India needs to adopt to become a global chess powerhouse.

But why chess of all sports? To give a quick context, Dr Sivaram explained how India is in a fairly good space in terms of chess. “We have four Indians among the top 10 players worldwide. We have a lot more youngsters playing chess. Chess ranks third in popularity among the sports viewed by Indians online, with cricket being the first, followed by football,” he said.