Bihar Deputy CM and Viswanathan Anand flag off NIIT MindChampion Academy in the State

- NIIT to introduce MindChampion Academy in 400 Government Schools in Bihar
Patna, December 18, 2008: Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Sushil Kumar Modi today flagged off NIIT’s MindChampion Academy in the state of Bihar. NIIT MindChampion Academy is a joint initiative of NIIT, a leading Global Talent Development Corporation and World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand, to initiate children across India to the game of Chess.
NIIT MindChampion Academy is being launched in 400 schools in the state where NIIT is offering the education services. The Academy has been successfully introduced in over 5000 schools across the country during the past 6 years, thus exposing students in the age group of 7-17 years to the world of Chess.
Marking the symbolic launch of the academy in the state, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Sushil Kumar Modi and World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand made their first moves in a game of Chess. Anand handed over the MCA kits to the Principals of some of the identified 400 Government Schools.
Speaking at the launch, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Sushil Kumar Modi said, “It is encouraging to see NIIT come forward to introduce children to the world of Chess through computer aided skills. I sincerely feel that initiatives like these will go a long way in enabling development of these young minds.”
Dr. Anil Kumar, Hon’ble IT Minister and Shri Hari Narayan Singh, Hon’ble Human Resource Development Minister also joined the Deputy Chief Minister in highlighting the importance of promoting ICT in education at school level and initiating school children in the game of chess through technology.
Speaking at the launch of NIIT MindChampion Academy, World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand said, “Chess has grown by leaps and bounds in India during the last 10 years, as more number of children are taking to the sport. The NIIT MindChampion Academy offers a tremendous opportunity to explore children’s potential, as it is aimed at providing them with requisite guidance and facilities.”
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. S N Uma, Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives and Information Systems, NIIT, said, “We thank the government of Bihar in helping us expand our reach to their state. The academy aims at combining the best of technology training with the benefits that Chess as a mind game can bring to the lives of school children.”
Launched in 2002 with an objective of initiating students into the world of Chess, NIIT MindChampion Academy has today fostered nearly 6180  chess clubs with more than 1,75,000 students as its members in schools where NIIT offers computer education.
Students use computer-based tutorials, during and after school as a virtual playfield to hone their skills in the game of Chess. Apart from tutorials, promising Chess players get an opportunity to interact with NIIT MindChampion and World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, in person at regular intervals.
Leveraging its inherent strength in technology, NIIT MindChampion Academy has created a virtual community of Chess enthusiasts in the country. The Academy has Viswanathan Anand, NIIT Group Chairman Mr Rajendra S. Pawar and President of NIIT School Learning Solutions, Mr L. Balasubramanian and few eminent world Chess personalities on its Advisory Board.
About NIIT MindChampion Academy
Started in 2002-03, NIIT MindChampion Academy is joint initiative of World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand and NIIT, to initiate young minds into the World of Chess. The young members of the Academy get to play Chess in both online and offline format and are given coaching using NIIT’s technology. The MindChampion Academy conducts an Annual Chess Tournament, known as ChessMaster for these school children across the country among the NIIT serviced schools.
Winners of Chess Master have won many accolades in the world of Chess. NIIT supported, M. Karthikeyan, winner of Chess Master 2006 in the Sub Junior category to participate in the National Chess Tournament, 2008 at Ahmedabad and significantly improve his FIDE ratings.