Aiming to become an International Master against all odds

BHUBANESWAR, AUGUST 1: If the sports history of India is replete with instances of talent going waste for lack of care and support, the su...

BHUBANESWAR, AUGUST 1: If the sports history of India is replete with instances of talent going waste for lack of care and support, the suffering of Orissa’s chess prodigy Swayangshu Satyapragyan could be a fit case to be added to the list.

Exceptionally talented, Satyapragyan has been struggling in silence at their wretched house here while his contemporaries P Harikrishna, Surya Sekhar Ganguly and Sandipan Chanda were exploiting the opportunities to add to their International Master titles at the Wipro GM’s tournament, which concluded at Hyderabad recently.

Satyapragyan’s chess career came to limelight in 1990 when he annexed the National under-8 title at Polachi (Tamil Nadu). The success was no fluke as he won the National Sub-junior crown at Tellichery (Kerala) five years later. Since then, the shy Orissa lad has been in the news, although his rate of success has not been as encouraging as expected.

In 1996 Satyapragyan represented the country in the World Sub-junior championship at Menorca (Spain). The next year he finished third at the Asian Sub-junior event in Mumbai. The 1998 World Junior (under-20) championship at Calicut was the last major international competition for Satyapragyan who stood 27th there after causing a couple of upsets in the earlier rounds.

EQUALLY GOOD AT ACADEMICS: Satyapragyan’s talent is not limited to the game of 64 squares only. He is also equally good at academics. While in school (St Joseph’s Convent), the soft-spoken Satyapragyan could not devote much time to his studies, being busy playing tournaments, but still came up trumps, completing his ICSE course with a high first class.

Recently, the boy added another feather to his academic cap when he was placed 14th among the top 20 in the Plus-Two examination, conducted by the Council of Higher Secondary Education of Orissa. A student of BJB College, Bhubaneswar, Satyapragyan secured 725 marks (81 per cent) in the arts stream.

This time, Satyapragyan’s preparation for the exams was inadequate. “For the last one-and-half years I was playing tournaments most of the time. So for the exams, my preparation time was less than a month. But I was confident of getting a first class. A place among the top 20 has come as a bonus,” said Satyapragyan, confidence writ large in his bright eyes.

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PITIABLE CONDITION: But what the self-respecting boy did not disclose was the fact that he did his academic preparation in a pitiable condition, without even the most basic amenities like water and electricity. “He studied with the help of candles or kerosene lamps. But he endured all the difficulties without a murmur of protest,” revealed his mother.

The plight of Satyapragyan was, however, not of his own making. It’s rather the consequence of a long dispute between his father, Sudhindra Kumar Panda, and his employer Orissa Minerals Development Company Ltd. The dispute started in the early 90s when Panda, a liaison officer, was transferred to a remote place. “The transfer order was a move to nip in the bud the promising chess careers of my two sons (elder son Swayangshu Satyakam is also a National-level player),” says Panda.

Since then Panda has been on leave, fighting for justice. Meanwhile, the company surrendered the Housing Society quarters which they had allotted to him. Later in 1998, water and electricity facilities were also withdrawn when it was found that Panda was not vacating the house.

Now, under a leaking roof, Satyapragyan is struggling to carry on with the game he loves so passionately.

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“To complete graduation and become an International Master (IM) in chess are my two important targets,” he says about his future plans.

AIMING FOR IM NORM: While the first goal seems easy, the other, the more important one for that matter, looks a distant dream. And the reasons are not far to seek.

“To become an IM one needs to play rating tournaments in the country and abroad. My problem in this respect is lack of funds. Here sponsorships are hard to come by. Though I am now receiving stipend from Indian Airlines, it is not adequate. Besides playing tournaments, I also need a computer to practise with and advanced coaching from professionals,” says Satyapragyan, whose latest Elo rating has reached 2379.

As regards the IM title, Satyapragyan narrowly missed two norms during the 1998 Calicut World Junior meet and last year’s Goodricke International tourney at Calcutta. He, however, pins high hopes on the ensuing Asian Junior championship billed to be held in India next month. “I have chalked out a schedule to practise six hours daily for the Asian meet. The tourney is crucial for me because the title winner will become an IM automatically,” explains Satya.