Indian chess has come a long way since my childhood: Tania

Former national champion Tania Sachdev said Indian chess has "come a long way" since her nascent playing days but feels a lot more needs to be done to make the game popular in the country.
"Chess in India has come a long way since I started playing. Today multiple tournaments are held in the country for young girls and women. The cash prize has also increased but there's still a long way to go," Tania told PTI.
"The way Indians are performing is a boost to our country. There's so much talent in the country. The All India Chess Federation is doing a lot to support the players, but there is always more scope," she added.

Claiming that Europe owes its success in the sport to different professional leagues, Tania said, "In Europe there are more opportunities as more tournaments are held with higher prize money. There are also different leagues that exist there."
Trying do away with the misconception that chess is an unpopular sport in India, the Arjuna Awardee said the game fails to attract deserved attention here as it is not viewer friendly.
"Chess is a very popular sport in India. As chess is not televised, it doesn't receive the kind of attention it deserves," she said.
Tania is a Woman Grandmaster and an International Master and had won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Chess Championship at Colombo earlier this month.