Written by Aakriti Bhalla In memory of Shailesh Nerlikar, a differently-abled chess champion who passed away on May 10, Victorious Chess Academy and the Pune District Chess Association have organised the first Shailesh Nerlikar Memorial State Rapid Chess Championship on Sunday. The championship will have two categories — Open and Under. Nerlikar, who was living with 100 per cent disability due to a disorder called Quadriplegia, started playing chess at the age of 15, on his doctor’s advice. The disability left Nerlikar with fragile bones and locked joints. However, in chess, he only needed to use his fully-functional organ — brain. Soon, Nerlikar developed a passion for the sport and started teaching himself. A resident of Sangli, Nerlikar started by playing at local championships in Kolhapur. He met chess champions such as International Master who later became his coach, Kapil Lohana, and Grand Master Shekhar Ganguly, who helped him develop his grip over the game. In his blog on Chessbase, Ganguly shared how the two exchanged books like the Encyclopedia of Chess to sharpen their skills. In no way did Nerlikar let his disability come in in the way of his love for the game. “He could not walk by himself. We carried him in our arms during the championship in Germany. But his undying positivity kept us charged. Though he scored 2.5/7, he fulfilled his dream of representing the country,” said Lohana, who is organising the memorial state-level championship in Pune. The chess champion represented the country twice by participating in the World Disability Championship in Germany in 2015 and the Malaysian Paralympiad in 2016. He also participated in the First Physically Disabled National Individual Chess Championship in 2015 at Tiruchirapalli where he ranked seventh among 25 players from across the country. One of the high points for him came in 2006, when the World Chess Federation (FIDE) awarded him international rating of 1,743 points. In an interview to The Indian Express in January 2010, Nerlikar had said that he wanted to dedicate his life to chess and become a Grand Master. Nerlikar passed away while preparing for an upcoming international chess championship. Victorious Academy is also planning to launch a film and a book on the chess champion. For all the latest Pune News, download Indian Express App

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