Don't give up on your dreams, "Pursue your chess" scholarship is here!
On this Teacher's Day, we come up with the third scholarship under The HelpChess initiative of the ChessBase India Foundation. A lot of people come close to their goal, they score their IM, WIM, GM, WGM norms, but are not able to make it to the title because of many problems. One of them is the lack of funds. With the "Pursue Your Chess" scholarship we would like to address this problem. This scholarship goes out for the people who have made one or more of their norms but are unable to reach their title. We want that such people should not give on their dream due to lack of finances. Rs.50,000 scholarship awaits you. 20th September is the last date to apply the form for the scholarship in this article.
The ChessBase India Foundation was launched on the 21st of June 2018. Today we are starting with the third annual scholarship. It's the "Pursue Your Chess" Scholarship. It is open for players who have made one or more IM/WIM, GM/WGM norms.
Background of the Scholarship:
The initiator of the scholarship is a man from Karnataka who wishes to remain anonymous. He says, "Basically I would like to ensure talented players don’t quit pursuing their chess goals for lack of money or funds to play in tournaments or study material or world class coaching etc. I also hope that this inspires corporate sponsorship. I don’t want to impose any age/gender restrictions but the player should be willing to put in effort and have reasonable chess talent that they can build on to pursue becoming a professional." It is for this reason we have given the added condition that the person who is applying for the scholarship should have already made one or more norms of IM/WIM, GM/WGM.
The donor further adds, "I wanted to call this "Pursue your chess" scholarship because in my own case I couldn’t afford money for books or coaching or travel for tournaments when I wanted to and had to quit to pursue other career goals. One personal story is that when I wanted to buy a book on 2 Kasparov Karpov matches - it was Rs 35 and my mother/grandpa both refused saying it was very expensive. This was in 1991. My aunt lend me money and I clandestinely went to the store and bought it. That was my last book until I started earning myself! This was when I was in 9th std. So yes! “Pursue Your Chess” is what I’d like to enable! Thanks again and grateful to ChessBase India for the opportunity to power chess in the country!"
Details of the Scholarship:
The amount of the scholarship will be Rs.50,000. The deserving player who will be selected for the scholarship will get Rs.6000 in the first month and Rs.4000 on the first of every month for the remaining 11 months. This scholarship will begin from the 1st of October and the beneficiary's account will be credited on the first of every month with the scholarship amount. The last date to apply for the scholarship is 20th of September 2018.
Who can apply:
1. Any Indian chess player. There is no age limit.
2. Should come from a weak financial background
3. Should have achieved a norm - IM/WIM, GM/WGM in his chess career till date.
All those who are interested in the scholarship must fill this form and submit before 20th of September
Please Note: We recommend that you take some time out and fill the form in peace with detailed answers. The amount of Rs.50,000 is not a small one. People who furnish appropriate details will be considered for the scholarship.
What is HelpChess?
HelpChess is an initiative by ChessBase India Foundation. It is the banner under which we want to continue all our charitable activities. The name clearly mentions what we are aiming for. We are looking for individuals/organizations who would like to help the talents of Indian chess by donating money or instituting a scholarship or donating in kind, so that the financial burdens on the players who come from humble background are reduced to an extent. The logo of HelpChess clearly shows this philosophy.
There are many people all over the world who want to contribute financially to the growth of Indian chess. There are many talents in India who are in need of these finances. HelpChess aims to act as a bridge. We believe that when ordinary people come together and contribute, extraordinary things can happen to our chess society.
If you are interested to start a scholarship with certain criteria, or you would like to donate some amount or donate in kind (for eg. coaching or training or any other way), please write to us at chessbaseindiafoundation@gmail.com
These are the bank details for you to donate to a good cause:
ChessBase India Foundation
HDFC Bank
A/C No. 50200031999591
Branch Name :- GHATKOPAR EAST-TILAK ROAD
Branch Address :- 001 / 002, Samyak Darshan, Junction Of Tilak Road & Vallabh Baug Lane, Mumbai,
IFSC CODE :- HDFC0000118
The ChessBase India Foundation is currently an Association of Persons (AOP). So, right now donors will not receive any tax benefits under section 80G. However, our efforts of converting it into a Charitable Trust and getting the tax benefits are ongoing and we will achieve it soon.
Related:
The Launch of ChessBase India Foundation
MKG Scholarship of Rs.50,000 for a girl under the age of 18
K. Priyanka wins the MKG Scholarship of Rs.50,000
Scholarship of free coaching for one year to the deserving candidate