‘Prisoners’ Gambit’: Yerawada jail chess team clinches gold at international championship

The gold medal, which follows the bronze in last year’s tournament, marks a milestone in the story of the handpicked team of nine players who are serving their sentences for various serious crimes including murder and dacoity.

This is the biggest-ever chess event among correctional facilities across the world and was organized by International Chess Federation (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) or FIDE and the Chicago Cook County Sheriff’s Office, as a part of the “Chess for Freedom” programme.

It was the continuation of the international championship first held in 2019 and the Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners of 2021 and 2022.

The finals of the tournament which were played Monday night in the rapid and blitz formats, for which four of the nine member teams played, resulted in a decisive victory of the Indian contingent against the El Salvador team.

A news bulletin from FIDE states, “The team of Pune prison (India) clinched the title in the men’s tournament of the Intercontinental Online Championship for Prisoners 2023 after beating El Salvador in the final. .” As many as 118 teams from 50 countries had participated in the championship that had begun on October 11.

On September 26 and 27, the All India Inter-Central Jail Chess Tournament was held in which the team Yerawada Central Prison clinched the top position and became eligible to represent India in the intercontinental championship.

The nine members of the team were Satish Pawar, Satish Lagad, Shankar Pawar, Manoj Paswan, Dada Naiknavare, Vijaypal Singh, Akshay Naik, Lahu Pawar and Ashish Pundlik.

The chess team of Yerawada Central started taking shape in the mid-2021 under the Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOC) social stewardship programme “Parivartan: Prison to Pride” launched in prisons across India and conceptualised by the company’s chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya.

Indian Chess Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte, who is the Chief Manager (Sports) with the IOC, roped in chess player and trainer Ketan Khaire as the team coach around the same time.

Along with Kunte, the team has also received guidance from India’s woman grandmaster Soumya Swaminathan, both of whom have played with the team members along the way.

“Imagine the excitement of these prison inmates while playing with their country’s grandmasters.” says a prison official. The team members used the Prison Library as their training base and also played their matches from there.

When contacted, Kunte said, “We had started training the team just before the 2021 championship. So the team could not participate that year. But in 2022 the team participated with full preparation and won bronze. And now the gold this year. There is some real talent in the team.”

In the 2022 edition, a six member had participated and this year, three more, who were already part of the training programme, were added.

Speaking to The Indian Express Khaire said , “I have to confess that I agreed to the idea of training prison inmates out of the sheer curiosity about what happens behind these walls. But the experience of training them has been much more profound, rewarding and meaningful. Behind each of their passion to get better at the game was their urge to leave behind the darker phases of their lives. I am so happy that we could help them. All of them now promise to take up chess upon their release and some even plan to do coaching in their respective area.”

Yerawada Prison Superintendent Sunil Dhamal said, “The team members were chosen from a group who already had a liking for chess and who fulfilled the conditions of good behaviour and a promise of reform. All of them have been serving their sentences in serious crimes including murders from 10 to 18 years in prison.”

Speaking about the process of training, Khaire said, “We were given a group of 20 inmates with interest in chess. Out of them we selected nine for the final training. While they were good at chess, their skills were unrefined. So the initial training was in the technicalities of the game, terminologies, importance of notings and making them aware of the competition they will be facing. We then moved to game strategies and other intricacies. During the process, they talked about their emotional struggles and their urge for reform. Their minds have been so much occupied with chess that they said they were picturing the games and moves on the ceilings and walls of the prison, a practice many chess players undertake to better their game. They told me this when I was telling them about the protagonist of the series ‘The Queen’s Gambit’.”

Yerawada Prison Officials said that with this achievement all the nine members of the team will be granted a 90 days special remission in their respective sentences.

Special remissions are granted to inmates for their achievements in correctional activities and can range from durations of 30 days to 90 days.

In addition to Kunte, Swaminathan and Khaire, the support squad for the training of Yerawada prison chess team included Bhalchandra Jogalekar, Deputy General Manager IOC, coordinator Yogesh Pardeshi, assistant coach Sagar Mohite and other team members Pavan Kathwade, Ganesh Malkari and Mayur Kadrekar.

State Prison Department chief, Additional Director General of Police Amitabh Gupta said, “It is a proud moment for all of us and a fine example of the correctional ethos.”