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Lord of the board
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Checkmated by fate, K.V. Krishna Karthik's story is inspiring
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K.V. KRISHNA KARTHIK'S physical disability was mistaken for mental retardation, until chess stepped in as a cure. His father K.V.L. Narasimha Murthy had spent a fortune on his treatment, with little success. The gangling youngster had little control over his limbs nor was his head steady on his neck. Murthy was pained his only son had turned out this way. Bringing up such a child would be an ordeal for any parent and Murthy bore his burdens with the patience of a monk.
A hard-working chess official, he was wary of initiating his son in the most cerebral of games. The green signal from doctors came when Karthik was 12-years old. What appeared to be the last resort was experimented with, the calmness of the chessboard carried over to Karthik's persona too. Gone was the impatience the youngster had hitherto shown. In its place came peace and a persistence to fight back, when the chips were down.
"Chess inculcates civic sense and no quarrels are seen in the grimmest of situations," says Murthy, a keen follower of the chequered game.
"On the other hand, it fires the imagination and enhances one's mental calibre," he observes. On the suggestion of V.R. Bobba, President of the Andhra Pradesh Chess Association, Karthik was brought under the tutelage of S.K. Khasim, who runs the Global Chess Academy in Vijayawada. The results began to show, starting with Karthik's third place finish in the A.P. Non-medallists championships in 2001.
Barely a year after, he replicated the performance in the Immortal Five memorial tournament in age group competition. In another event, Karthik accounted for half a dozen rated players. In 2003, he emerged runner-up in the Andhra Pradesh rapid chess championships.
When the National-B championships were held in June this year, Karthik came up trumps in a seven-round competition conducted alongside, featuring 40 unrated players, pocketing a Rs. 10,000 prize in the process. By now, finishing in the top 10, sometimes as high as fourth place, had become a habit. Khasim had meanwhile, become more than a mentor.
When a change of coach was suggested, Karthik would have none of it. So attached had he become to his tutor. And as is the case with accomplished exponents of the craft, the time has come for greater exposure, possible through computers.
His father however lacks the means to purchase the wonder machine. Khasim believes that would be just the stepping-stone Karthik needs. A helping hand along the way should take Karthik places.
A. JOSEPH ANTONY
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Madurai
Mangalore
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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