Darpan Inani set out to conquer the west in his month long tour of Europe in July-August,2018. He had been returning to competitve play after a gap of about a year and a half due to his Chartered Accountancy Final Exams, but the boy left no stone un-turned to accomplish what he had always desired to become, India's first 100% visually challenged International Master.
During his tour, he competed in three sighted open tournaments. In these, he played against some extremely strong opposition and did not disappoint. He increased 46 ELO Rating points overall and 30 in a single event, where he became India's first visually challenged player to win an international category prize(1800-2000). He has now become the country's highest rated blind player and returned to the 2000 ELO Rating bracket(2015 effective from September,2018). What's remarkable is the fact that he came from a break in tournament play but managed to win some fantastic games. He undertook a short training camp with GM Srinath Narayanan a few weeks prior to leaving for Europe. One can only wonder where he gets so much energy from. With a record that only few can match, this young man has the potential to do the unthinkable. It's not long before we, as a country with over a billion citizens and residents, get our first visually challenged International Chess Master. Project Checkmate would like to congratulate Darpan for his fantastic results and wishes you the best for your future. It would also like to thank you for your continued support towards its work and project. Note- If you know someone who would be interested to be featured on our blog, or want to be featured yourself, do drop us a mail on [email protected]. 1. Can you share your first memory in chess? Yes, when I was in 10th standard there was a club level tournament. They had kept a chess competition to celebrate their annual function. I participated in this and won the first place. In that same month, I participated in the 1st telegraph school chess championship in 2003 and scored 6/9. 2. Why do you like the game so much and who is your inspiration? I like the game because I enjoy playing it a lot. I started playing chess in my childhood when I didn't know anything about turning PRO or who Vishy Anand was. So, my first inspiration was my father. 3. How do you practice? I prepare my openings from Chessbase and Mega Database. I manage to read PDF books only. I also call my friends to my place to practice with me or play online games. 4.What are your favourite memories in chess? In 2013, I had defeated two 2100 rated players consecutively. I cannot forget those moments. 5.What are your future goals in chess? I have not set any particular goal of becoming an IM or a GM. However, I want to be a better player and a well recognized one in my country. 6.In which tournaments are you participating in next? In October,2018, I am playing the Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. 7. What do you like to do in your free time? In my free time, I like to read about the current affairs and a few other e-magazines. 8.What do you think about Project Checkmate? Project Checkmate is a great initiative made by you and you are working well. I am pretty sure PROJECT CHECKMATE shall be well established. (Thank you for your kind words Subhendu and we hope that we can soar to greater heights in the near future with the help of players like you) 9. Why do you think that it is important for the blind to play chess? I think chess is the only blind friendly game in which we can compete with normal people. Of course, it makes us think logically in our life too. Thank you for your time Subhendu and Project Checkmate wishes you the best for your future. Note- If you know someone who would like to be featured, or want to be involved in the blog yourself, please do drop a line at [email protected]. |