Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company Ltd, a joint venture between the West Bengal Housing Board and Peerless General Finance & Investment Company Ltd, has come forward to sponsor Sayantan Das who recently won the title in World Youth Chess Tournament’s under-12 category in Vietnam.
“Not only for tournaments, we are keen on sending him to some coaching camps in different places in the world. But the appeal should come through Alekhine Chess Club,” said Kumar Shankar Bagchi, managing director of Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company as well as the president of Alekhine Chess Club.
Sayantan, a student of Class VII of Scottish Church School, said he needs to be upgraded by visiting Spain. “Currently, the standard of chess is better in Spain than Russia,” he said.
According to Dibyendu Barua, the second grandmaster of India, expenditure for the upliftment of Sayantan is difficult to say. “But his international success must motivate other boys to play chess,” Barua said.
He needs over a lakh per tournament, feels Udayan Kanti Ghosh, secretary, the West Bengal Chess Association.
“He will get advantage in some Indian as well as international tournaments owing to his world title. His entry fees will be waived off. He will not have to think for airfare or hospitality services as these are the responsibilities of respective organisers. But the tournament officials will not pay for his gurdian. One should remember that Sayantan is a small chap and a gurdian will be there with him,” Ghosh said.