IIT Madras Sets Sights on Global Chess Dominance with New Tech Plans at Sports Startup Conclave

IIT Madras CESSA aims to make India a global chess powerhouse with technology-driven tools to boost fan engagement, prevent cheating, and expand grassroots chess training programs. Know details here

IIT Madras Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA) has unveiled plans to position India as a global chess powerhouse through technology-driven initiatives. These initiatives aim to enhance fan engagement, provide solutions for federations to detect cheating, and develop comprehensive chess training programs to foster grassroots growth. The efforts will encompass sportspersons, PE instructors, coaches, referees, analysts, physiologists, nutritionists, umpires, sports presenters, and management personnel.

As part of this endeavour, IIT Madras CESSA plans to launch five new sports courses on NPTEL in the coming months. The Institute made these announcements at the ‘Sports Tech Start Up Conclave’ being organized in New Delhi by IIT Madras CESSA.

IIT Madras CESSA

All sports courses launched by IITM CESSA will feature strong industry connections and integrate with various initiatives in Sports Science and product development for athletes and sports federations. Some courses will be developed in collaboration with industry leaders, offering students opportunities to develop analytics for media platforms and engage with sports tech startups incubated through these programs.

As part of its efforts to advance chess, IIT M CESSA plans to create a prominent digital hub for chess content and training in India. Additionally, CESSA will innovate with technology to ensure fair gameplay through anti-cheating tools and enhance online chess with engaging features to boost fan participation.

• Grassroots level popularization of chess by undertaking various technology initiatives
• Plans on involving local chess players as the above structure is built to ensure financial benefits for everyone in the ecosystem

Addressing the Conclave, Sandip Pradhan, Director-General, Sports Authority of India (SAI), said, “This is just a beginning. We have started working with IIT Madras and there is scope to do a lot of collaboration. We would like to strengthen our collaboration further. To all the entrepreneurs, we are looking to support start-ups. We are looking for opportunities to work with the start-ups. If you have products that you think can be applied in sports bodies, we will work with you. The Government will support not only Research but also products.”

Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Chess is a very interesting and thought-provoking sport that involves lot of pattern-matching and strategies. High Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence can play a very crucial role that can aid chess players during the training phase by enumerating several scenarios and the best possible game plans for those. IIT Madras is very keen to develop such platforms with an objective to make Bharat a global chess powerhouse.”

Highlighting IIT Madras’ Vision for Sports Education aided by Technology, Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, and Head of CESSA, IIT Madras, said, “Today, IIT Madras launches innovative technology-driven initiatives in sports, also aiming to revolutionize sports education, empower chess federations with anti-cheating solutions, and pioneer grassroots training programs. This underscores our commitment to advancing sports education, nurturing talent across all levels of the sports ecosystem and using technology to further elevate India’s place in the chess world.”

The conclave included dynamic panel discussions led by industry leaders on 'Boosting Other Sports in India through Technology and Innovation'. The sessions explored innovative recommendations and opportunities for collaboration among sports federations, technology firms, media platforms, and R&D to enhance game coverage with creativity and engagement.

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