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2009
NIIT MindChampions Academy - Chess Master 2009, East Zone Winners Felicitated by World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand
  • Aditya Chakraborty from Delhi Public School, Ruby Park, Kolkata, West Bengal and Bappi Deb from Teliamura Higher Secondary School, West Tripura, Tripura, adjudged as Winners
  • Over 4.5 Lakh Students Across India Compete for the Coveted Chess Master 2009 Title
  • Online Survey Highlights the Positive Impact of Chess on Academics

Kolkata, December 21, 2009: The winners of East Zone Finals of NIIT MindChampions Academy (MCA) were felicitated by World Chess Champion and NIIT MindChampion Viswanathan Anand at Kolkata today. Dr. Debesh Das, Hon'ble IT Minister, West Bengal graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.

Aditya Chakraborty from Delhi Public School, Ruby Park, Kolkata, West Bengal and Bappi Deb from Teliamura Higher Secondary School, West Tripura, Tripura were adjudged as the winners of East Zone Finals of the NIIT MindChampions Academy - Chess Master 2009.
NIIT MindChampions Academy is a joint initiative by NIIT, a leading Global Talent Development Corporation and Asia’s largest IT Trainer, and World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand to initiate young minds into the World of Chess.

This year NIIT MindChampions Academy has witnessed participation of over 4.5 lakh students from across the country for Chess Master 2009. There have been 6282 clubs actively playing chess since April 2009 to compete for the Chess Master 2009 title. The aim has been to go green this year and the complete implementation, monitoring, playing has been done electronically under the supervision of faculties from NIIT.

In response to an online survey conducted by MCA this year, over 8000 children have mentioned that Chess has helped them perform better in academics, especially in Science and Mathematics. The game developed their patience and understanding, motivating children to take up Chess before school hours or during the breaks.

The East Zone level contest witnessed widespread participation by nearly 1.40 lakh students from over 1200 Government and Private Schools.

Commenting on the success of NIIT MindChampions Academy, Viswanathan Anand remarked, “It is heartening to note that more and more young children are taking up Chess enthusiastically and mastering the strategies of the game. I am confident that the grit and determination that these Young children display at the game will help them excel in academics as well.” 

“I am delighted to see that NIIT MindChampions Academy has touched a huge number of children across the country and initiated them into the game of Chess. Technology has also played a key role in reaching out to children in every corner of the country for introducing them to Chess.”

Dr. Debesh Das, Hon'ble IT Minister, West Bengal recognized the commendable performance of the young MindChampions in the game of Chess and encouraged them to continue to exhibit the same zeal and brilliance. He said that the budding talent needs to be mentored and guided and that NIIT MindChampions Academy is offering the aspiring young Chess players an ideal platform to learn and grow.

According to Tarun Govind Mathur, Head- Operations, School Learning Solutions, NIIT Ltd., “Chess is a mind game that improves academic performance and aids in mental development of young children. Over the years the NIIT MindChampions Academy has been popularizing Chess in Schools across India.”

The winners of the East Zone Finals of NIIT MindChampions Academy- Chess Master 2009, Aditya Chakraborty and Bappi Deb will represent the East Zone at the National Finals. The winners will also get an opportunity to play Chess with the Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand. The National winner will be felicitated by the World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand at a mega event for National Finals in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on December 24, 2009.

Launched in 2002 with an objective of initiating students into the world of Chess, NIIT MindChampions Academy has commenced a movement that has now touched more than 8.5 lakh students from over 7000 schools across India. World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand has personally travelled to Agartala, Guwahati, Raipur, Patna, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and other cities across India, spreading the message and motivating the school students to start playing chess. NIIT MindChampions Academy conducts an Annual Chess event, known as Chess Master for these school children across 16 states in the NIIT network.

Also present at the event were the following dignitaries:

Shri P C Sorcar (Junior)
The World Famous Magician
Mr Debdash Banerjee
General Manager, NIIT School Learning Solutions
Mr Alok Tibrewal
Pro Vice Chairman, DPS Ruby Park, Kolkata
Mr Girish Khaitan
Secretary, Baliganj Shiksha Sadan, Kolkata
Mrs Deepa Chatterjee
w/o actor, Soumitra Chatterjee
Mrs Anusree Ghose
Principal, DPS, Ruby Park, Kolkata
Mr Rudrani Charan Chatterjee
International Arbiter & Chess Coach of Modern Chess Academy
Brig. (Retd.) N S Mukherjee
Administrator, DPS, Ruby Park, Kolkata

About NIIT

NIIT Limited, leading Global Talent Development Corporation and Asia’s largest IT trainer, offers learning and knowledge solutions to over 5 million students across 40 countries.

Leading IT magazine Dataquest has conferred upon NIIT, the ‘Top IT Training Company’ award successively for the past 17 years, since the inception of this category. Rated among India’s Business Superbrands 2008, NIIT’s Individual Learning Business offerings include industry-endorsed programs for students seeking careers in IT - GNIIT, Edgeineers and Global Net Plus for IT professionals.

NIIT has provided computer-based learning to over 12,000 government and private schools. The futuristic NIIT eGURU range for schools is a holistic education package that comprises of Interactive Classrooms (an embedded Teaching Learning Material, that uses elements of interactivity, automation and web links library); Math lab (technology tools that enable school students to learn and explore mathematical concepts); IT Wizard (equips the students with core computer knowledge and IT skills); and Quick School (an Education Resource Planning solution for school management).

For working professionals, NIIT Imperia, Centre for Advanced Learning, offers Executive Management Education Programs in association with Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) at Ahmedabad, Indore, Kolkata, Lucknow, IMT Ghaziabad and IIFT Delhi.

NIIT Institute of Finance Banking & Insurance (IFBI), formed by NIIT with equity participation from ICICI Bank, offers programs for individuals and corporates in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance.

NIIT Uniqua, Centre for Process Excellence, addresses the increasing demand for skilled workers in the business and technology services industry by providing training programs in relevant areas. This is a part of NIIT Institute of Process Excellence, a NIIT-Genpact venture.

NIIT’s Corporate Learning Solutions, offers integrated learning solutions (including strategic consulting, learning design, content development, delivery, technology, assessment and learning management) to Fortune 500 companies, Universities, Technology companies, Training corporations and Publishing houses.

NIIT delivers a tailored combination of catalog learning products, technology and services through Element K offerings. These include: vLab®: hands-on labs, instructor-led courseware, comprehensive e-reference libraries, technical journals, and KnowledgeHub™: hosted learning management platform. This makes NIIT the first and the best choice for comprehensive learning solutions, worldwide.

For media queries, please contact:
Prateek Chatterjee
Head- Corporate Communications
NIIT Ltd.
Email: prateek.chatterjee@niit.com
Cell: +91 9910201085