• 3 weeks ago
Join us for an enlightening conversation with Dr. Charudutta Jadhav, President of the All India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB), as he shares his vision for inclusivity in chess and the transformative power of the game for visually impaired players.


#ChessForAll #VisuallyImpaired #BreakingBarriers #AICFB #DrCharuduttaJadhav #ChessCommunity #InclusiveSports #EmpowermentThroughChess #BlindChess #AdaptiveSports #ChessLife #EqualOpportunities #MindOverMatter #InspiringChange #GameChangers
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Transcript
00:00Good afternoon to all the viewers, Michael and One India.
00:05Today I have with me Dr. Charudatta Jadhav, Head Accessibility Centre for Excellence at PCS.
00:12And also very importantly at this event, he is the President of All India Chess Federation for the Blind, AICUSB.
00:17Thank you so much for coming.
00:19My pleasure.
00:20So we just concluded the 12th IBCA World Junior Women Chess Championship for the Blind in Women in Pair 2.24.
00:27Here at Chantry Pavilion, Bangalore.
00:29So how was the event? I am sure it was very good even as usual.
00:34Yeah, it was an excellent experience.
00:36Very nicely concluded event.
00:39One more milestone for India.
00:41Because it is the first time a World Junior and a World Women has been conducted outside Europe.
00:47And that honour has gone to India and I think the entire organising team and all the stakeholders who were involved has done an excellent job.
00:56To make this event successful.
00:59So Dr. Jadhav, it is very interesting that you have a confident role both at PCS and here at the AICFP.
01:11So how is it that you are managing both this very important yet hectic schedule that you have?
01:17Actually, if you look at my own career as a sports person and my profession,
01:23chess has played a very critical role.
01:26Chess is the only game where blind person can play at par with sighted.
01:31It has been proven again and again.
01:36It has given us that same belief and same confidence and the sense of equality.
01:41So if on the board if we are equal and we can compete with sighted on equal footing, we can do anything in the life.
01:49So that belief and that positive spirit we carry in the professional life.
01:56So today when I do research, I am heading research, we get those confidence.
02:04I personally get that confidence that nothing is impossible.
02:08Any problem has always a solution.
02:11When you look problem and opportunity is there.
02:15So if you look problem from the opportunity side, ample opportunity to get open to solve those problems.
02:23Therefore, I always enjoy playing both the roles because it is complemented.
02:29It has given me motivation.
02:32If we get stressful in the office, chess gives that encouragement and motivation.
02:37Sometimes very extensive chess, we come back, we get that switch of contents.
02:42And then we can fully concentrate on the research.
02:45So it has helped me complementing my both work and helped me perform better in both.
02:53Like you just mentioned that chess is like, it can be played both by abled and disabled.
02:59People who have individual disability also somebody can perform at equal level.
03:03So I guess chess is a very important, I mean that way is a very important tool for inclusiveness in the society.
03:08Absolutely, absolutely.
03:09It is the only game you can say which can give you that inclusivity without any accommodation.
03:17That's very interesting, very interesting point actually.
03:20Because any blind chess player wants to get international rating or get international title like Grandmaster, International Master.
03:27They have to fulfill the same criteria with any other mainstream chess player.
03:34So, and I feel the infrastructure because they play together in one common way.
03:40The literature created to improve the game is said to make the game more accessible.
03:46So even the technology which has been used is made accessible for blind.
03:52So we started.
03:53So we see that even the infrastructure is also getting improved.
03:58So it's a true sense this game has basically become accessible.
04:02And in fact you have made this game easier for blind and visually impaired through your software called 64XL.
04:12And that I think is kind of a tool that has really made things easier for the blind and visually impaired.
04:20Yeah, that was the first intervention.
04:22Like that we have done several interventions to bridge the gap, infrastructure gap between mainstream and blind.
04:28So the talk 64 was first we installed this speech enabled software.
04:33Later on we also worked with the companies who has a mobile software.
04:39And worked with them to make the same application fully accessible.
04:43Like Chessmove, Followchess, iChess.
04:47So this entire gambit of mobile chess software we have made accessible and made available for blind.
04:54Because today mobile is integral part of everybody's life.
04:57You may have computer, we don't have.
05:00But you will find mobile.
05:02Then we converted books into DAISY which is an electronic form of book which blind person can read independently.
05:09So there are two formats, DAISY and eBook.
05:12So we converted several books into this format and made available to our players.
05:18Now they can read the book alone.
05:20They can basically use this software and prepare themselves.
05:25There is an online gaming platform where they can go and play online.
05:31So now there is a lot of infrastructure which we have created after that talk 64.
05:39And I think of course chess, India has been a super powerhouse in chess.
05:47Thanks to Vishwanathan Anand who has been carrying on the flag for all his life.
05:52But I guess in terms of depth, we are India at a stage where we have got so many grandmasters.
05:59That too they are so young.
06:00In fact only recently at the Olympic Games both the men and women have won.
06:06I think the depth in terms of chess is the strongest at the moment.
06:10And that only helps enhance the other part also to get better.
06:16Very true. Actually Vishwanathan Anand has transformed chess in India.
06:21He is an inspiration to almost all chess players.
06:26And we blind also basically inspired.
06:29In fact Vishwanathan Anand has played a very critical role to boost our morale.
06:35So he is associated with us since 1989.
06:39So whenever he gets time, he basically has guided me personally.
06:44And we basically prepare some plans.
06:47He also comes forward and provides support for the events.
06:52Some of the players he analyses the game and guides those players also.
06:58His role was very very critical because when a person like Vishy gets involved,
07:04there is a different level of motivation and thought of our players is there.
07:10And after Vishy, there are so many thought of players.
07:16Bukesh has also sent a message.
07:20So many grand players, not only grandmasters but even international players are supporting blind chess.
07:26Of course there is much need to scale.
07:28We need a lot of support.
07:30More people should come forward.
07:32We see that we are encouraging over the years.
07:35We are getting newer and newer talents.
07:37And I think very soon we will see that.
07:41Of course we have already reached to the stage where we are in top 7 countries in the world.
07:49But we wanted to be now in top 3.
07:51So I think in next few years, the way we are progressing, we will basically achieve that milestone.
07:58And then finally we will have our final admission.
08:03And till final submission, we will become number 1 in the world in next 2 years.
08:08I think it's a great story.
08:10Thank you so much for your time sir.
08:12And as it is possible, I mean you are definitely responsible to quite an extent for all this.
08:20This thing that we have covered so far.
08:22And we will only get better from here.
08:24Thank you so much for your advice and wish you all the best.
08:27And we promote Blind Chess.
08:29And I would specially like to thank the person like you or organizations like yours.
08:36Thanks sir.
08:37For coming forward and supporting because Blind Chess deserves this.
08:40And lead this because you know that awareness and then motivation is really important.
08:44And I feel that media can play a bigger role in this.
08:48Thank you very much.
08:49Thanks.
08:50Thank you so much.

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