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Published on: December 24, 2010

India Creates a New Guinness World Record of 20,480 Simultaneous Chess Players

  • World Chess Champion and NIIT MindChampion Viswanathan Anand Spearheads Record Breaking Event at Swarnim Chess Mahotsav 2010, Gujarat
  • An endeavor by the Government of Gujarat, Gujarat State Chess Association and NIIT to popularize Chess amongst school children

Ahmedabad, December 24, 2010:  A new world record was created at Swarnim Chess Mahotsav 2010 Gujarat, with 20,480 players playing simultaneous Chess at Gujarat University Grounds in Ahmedabad. The earlier record was of 13,446 players at Mexico City in 2006.

The record breaking event was held in the presence of Mr. Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat; World Chess Champion and NIIT MindChampion, Viswanathan Anand and Mr. Rajendra S Pawar, Chairman, NIIT Limited. Ms. Tarika Vara, Adjudication Executive, Guinness World Records was also present on the occasion to verify the new record on behalf of Guinness World Records.

A unique initiative by the Government of Gujarat, Gujarat State Chess Association and NIIT Limited, the leading Global Talent Development Corporation and Asia’s largest IT trainer- “Swarnim Chess Mahotsav 2010, Gujarat”, was announced earlier this year to popularize the game of Chess in the state. NIIT MindChampions Academy set up Chess Clubs in 1,575 computerized schools of Gujarat to facilitate maximum participation in the mega Chess event.

World Chess Champion and NIIT MindChampion Viswanathan Anand remarked, “This is a historic day for Indian Chess, and I feel proud to be a part of it. This achievement will go a long way in inspiring young people take up this sport, which has a positive impact on development of young minds.”

Mr. Rajendra S Pawar, Chairman NIIT Ltd. said, “The NIIT MindChampions’ Academy is popularizing Chess in schools and this record breaking event is a great milestone in that journey.”
The venue layout of the record breaking event was a visual delight. The Gujarat University Grounds of Ahmedabad has been turned into a giant Chess Board with 64 alternating black & white squares. The players were segregated equally within the squares which were either black or white, just as in a Chess Board. The imposing 29,000 square meters of Chess Board, created through perfect colour coordination could be viewed even from the air.
Chess Association of Gujarat provided around 1000 Masters and Grandmasters for the Swarnim Chess Mahotsav 2010 held at Ahmedabad. As a run up to the grand event, NIIT MindChampions Academy popularized Chess amongst students by forming Chess clubs in schools within the State of Gujarat, which made available a pool of Chess Players, who participated in the Swarnim Gujarat Chess Mahotsav.

About Swarnim Chess Mahotsav 2010, Gujarat
Swarnim Chess Mahotsav is a part of the ambitious Khel Mahakumbh, launched by the  Government of Gujarat, to popularize Chess in the State. Under the guidance of World Chess Champion and NIIT MindChampion Viswanathan Anand, the mega event set a new World Record for the maximum number of simultaneous Chess players in Ahmedabad, India, on December 24, 2010. The record breaking attempt, jointly organized by State Government of Gujarat, Gujarat Chess Association & NIIT, had Chess players coming together to play simultaneous Chess, to break the current record of Mexico City’s 13,446 simultaneous Chess players. 
For more details of the record breaking attempt, please visit http://playChessgujarat.com/
 
About NIIT MindChampions' Academy
The NIIT MindChampions’ Academy (MCA), a not-for-profit initiative has been set up as a joint initiative by Grand Master Viswanathan Anand and NIIT Limited, leading Global Talent Development Organisation and Asia’s largest IT Trainer, with the objective of promoting Chess in schools to enable development of young minds. Studies have shown that Chess improves concentration and diligence, thus helping students performs better academically. 
Established in 2002, the Academy has fostered over 11,200 Chess clubs with over 1 Million students as its members, in schools across India.
World Chess Champion and NIIT Mind Champion Viswanathan Anand has personally traveled to various parts across India - Agartala, Guwahati, Hyderbad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, Patna, Raipur, Chennai, Hyderbad, Kolkata, Pune,Ahmedabad and has visited countries like Africa & China, spreading the message and motivating the school students to start playing Chess. 
NIIT Mind Champions’ Academy conducts the hugely popular Annual Event, known as Chess Master for school children across India within the NIIT network of schools where it provides IT education. It is also the first institution in India to launch a certificate program in Chess under a Central Government University umbrella- Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
Prateek Chatterjee/ Reema Bardhan, NIIT Ltd
Ph: (Cell) +91 9910201085/ +91 9891267470
Email id: prateek.chatterjee@niit.com/ reema.bardhan@niit.com

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NIIT is a leading Global Talent Development Corporation that is building a manpower pool for global industry requirements. The company, which was set up in 1981 to help the nascent IT industry overcome its human resource challenges, today ranks among the world’s leading training companies owing to its vast, yet comprehensive array of talent development programs. With a footprint across 30 nations, NIIT offers training and development solutions to Individuals, Enterprises and Institutions.

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