Chess: 14-year-old Aronyak Ghosh faces financial crisis despite crossing 2300 FIDE rating

Kolkata, Jan 8: Aronyak Ghosh is all set to establish a rare feat in Bengal’s chess fraternity. At just 14-year of age, he has already crossed 2300 points in his FIDE Rating.

He also earned the second position in Bangladesh First Division Chess championship with his team and earned a qualification to take part in Premier League Chess tournament in Bangladesh next year.

This was his first Bangladesh trip on the invitation. Now he is busy in taking part in a national chess tournament in New Delhi. If he can win in New Delhi he will receive his maiden IM (International Master) norm.

The student of class eighth standard in South Point School is very much aware that unless he earns three IM norms he will be able to reach the elite class of chess players. That is a GM (Grand Master) title. But tournaments for IM norm are hardly organized by the All India Chess Federation (AICF). In most of the cases, the players tour abroad to participate in the tournaments for IM norms.

Aronyak’s father, Mrinal Ghosh is a private chess coach and FIDE arbitrator.

He regretted, “It becomes extremely difficult for me to organize a huge sum of money for Aronyak’s foreign trips. I am planning to send Aronayk to Spain for the participation in such a tournament for IM norm in July this year. But he will need nearly Rs 2 lakhs for the trip. I do not know how I will organize the amount.”

Aronyak, however, was promised of sponsorship by a Kolkata-based organization in 2013. Aronyak’s father revealed, “The organization which claimed to have good contacts in Germany, assured me of paying Rs 1 lakh 20 thousand yearly, and they paid the initial Rs 10 thousand also. But we did not receive a single rupee from that organization after that.”

Diptayan Ghosh, who is the first chess player from Bengal to have struck 2500 points mark in his FIDE Rating, is Aronayk's idol. The 14-year-old boy says, “If Diptanayan can achieve without sponsorship, I will also be able to reach my dream point 2500 in the FIDE Rating.”