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Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Gold again! World Chess champion D Gukesh, World Junior champion Pranav V and now this — Velammal keeps minting talents
NEW DELHI: "Go Velammal, Velammal!" — The roar from the seven members representing Velammal MHS School, with the tri-colour held high, painted a larger picture that India's glory days in the game of 64 squares aren't fading any time soon. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Players and coaches donning gold medals and holding the coveted 2025 World Schools Team Championship title were a sheer demonstration of the continued dominance India has enjoyed in recent years. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. And so dominant was Velammal in Virginia that they won all eight matches and had the title sealed even before the final round. Poll What do you think is the key factor behind Velammal's success in chess? Strong coaching and mentorship Academic flexibility and support Passion and dedication of the students Financial incentives for achievements With WFM Keerti Shree Reddy (rating 1910), IM Aswath S (2369), FM Daakshin Arun (2021), IM Ilamparthi A (2358) and FM Pranav KP (2090) all playing key roles, the Chennai-based school secured gold at the 2025 World Schools Team Championship. However, it is not the first time Velammal has been in the spotlight. Some of India's top chess players, including Grandmasters (GMs) D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Pranav V, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Leon Luke Mendonca, have walked its corridors. Exclusive | How India's World Junior Chess Champion Pranav Earned Wildcard to Grand Swiss 2025 Velammal began its chess journey in the early 2000s, when the institution started spotting and nurturing talent at the grassroots. Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School (MHS) and Velammal Vidyalaya, both under the Velammal Educational Trust (Velammal Nexus), created a structured pathway for young players, pairing academic flexibility with professional coaching. "We all know Chennai is called the Chess Capital of India. It has the maximum number of Grandmasters. After the Olympiad happened in Chennai in 2022, a lot of people got interested in chess, and I think there will be many more GMs from Chennai in the coming years," GM Pranav Venkatesh, the reigning FIDE World Junior Champion and a Velammal Vidyalaya student, told "The school helps a lot in studies also, not only in chess. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They give leaves for tournaments, they have made a massive contribution in my chess career so far." Velammal has produced athletes in athletics, volleyball, football and badminton, but chess has become its signature, currently riding the wave of the nation's unmistakable chess boom. The sport's deep roots in Chennai, combined with the city's active tournament scene and role models like Viswanathan Anand, made it an ideal focus. GM Shyam Sundar Mohanraj, who coaches many Velammal students in his Chennai-based academy, explained: "So, in Tamil Nadu… some of the schools do support chess, sometimes financially, but more importantly by giving holidays, more leave to the kids. And I think that's the important thing: attendance. For example, in Chennai, one of those schools is Velammal. There, they don't mind giving more holidays to the players. "And they also support if someone achieves a good performance, then they also provide some kind of financial support. For example, you must be aware that when Gukesh won the Candidates, he was gifted a car. I don't know the exact brand, maybe Mercedes or something, but the car was worth 80 lakhs or 1 crore." Gukesh was indeed gifted a Mercedes-Benz car worth approximately Rs 90,00,000 ($103,450 USD) by his school. The gift came after Gukesh bagged two gold medals at the 2024 Chess Olympiad and became the youngest-ever winner of the Candidates Tournament to set up his World Championship match against China's Ding Liren. It was a move that again highlights the school's tradition of celebrating its stars even if they are one step away from that "ultimate" goal, which was the World Chess Championship in Gukesh's case. After Gukesh became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion, the same school awarded him with a Rs 1 crore cash prize. For Velammal, the 2025 World Schools Team Championship is another chapter in a growing legacy. Whether it's Gukesh ruling the world stage, Pranav dominating at the junior level, or some chess prodigies delivering at team events, Velammal continues to justify its "The Chess Factory of India" tag. In all, as the gold medals glistened in Virginia, the chants of "Go Velammal!" were more than just cheers; they were a promise that India's chess future is in safe hands.
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First Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa's alma mater wins gold at FIDE World Schools Team Championship
Velammal MHS School enjoyed a dominant run in the 2025 FIDE World Schools Team Championship in the United States in which it was guaranteed the top spot and the title before the last of the eight rounds even got underway on Wednesday. read more Students of the Velammal MHS School, Chennai, pose with their gold medals at the 2025 FIDE World Schools Team Championship in Alexandria, USA. Image credit: FIDE It's not just Grandmasters D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and his sister R Vaishali who are keeping the Indian flag flying high in the world of chess – their alma mater too is making the country proud by emerging victorious in a global event. Chennai's Velammal MHS School, after all, won gold at the World Schools Team Championship that took place in the USA and concluded on Wednesday, 6 August. Dominant Velammal miles ahead of other schools Velammal MHS School, located in Chennai's Mogappair and also counts GM Leon Luke Mendonca among its former students, enjoyed a dominant run in the tournament that took place in Alexandria, Virginia in which they were guaranteed the top spot and the title before the last of the eight rounds even got underway. Velammal finished No 1 with 16 points from eight rounds while the next three finished with 12 points each – with Kazakhstan's National School of Physics and Mathematics and USA's The Harker School winning silver and gold respectively after the tie-breaks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD International Master Ilamparthi A was the star performer for Velammal, winning seven games and drawing just one after playing all eight rounds. He even took over as Board 1 for his school after Woman FIDE Master Keerti Shree Reddy played the first three rounds. Pranav KP, who played on Board 4, was another key performer as he won six and drew one after featuring in all rounds except the second. Exciting World School Teams Championship comes to an end. Over 50 teams from all over the world came to USA, and that was a real celebration of school chess. Kudos to the Velammal school from Chennai for taking the gold medals - but this event had many more winners. Look at the… — Emilchess (@EmilSutovsky) August 7, 2025 Velammal MHS School has been a key contributor to Chennai's rich legacy when it comes to chess by providing training to hundreds of budding chess players. It follows the '7 to 17 programme' which had been introduced in schools by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in 2013. The development comes days after Divya Deshmukh defeated Koneru Humpy in a historic all-Indian final at the FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi Georiga, with both players confirming their place in next year's Candidates Tournament. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
News18
4 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Velammal Vidyalaya wins gold medal at World Schools Team Championship
New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI) Chennai's Velammal Vidyalaya, the alma mater of the youngest reigning world champion D Gukesh and grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, has added further laurels to its cap by winning the gold medal at the World Schools Team Championship in Virginia, USA. The Velammal Vidyalaya, located in the Mogappair neighbourhood, has been a force behind the chess revolution in Chennai as it provides expert training to hundreds of budding chess players. 'After eight exciting rounds, the 2025 World Schools Team Championship wrapped up today in Alexandria, Virginia," FIDE wrote on Thursday. 'Set on the beautiful campus of Episcopal High School, the event brought together some of the most talented young chess players from around the world." 'Rising above the rest with a perfect score, Velammal MHS School from India claimed the gold medal, winning all eight of their matches," it added. FIDE said the triumph for Velammal School adds another chapter to India's 'growing collection" of titles in chess. 'With India continuing to make waves across all levels and formats of chess, this victory adds yet another title to the country's growing collection," it said. 'Velammal MHS is no stranger to success—former students include Grandmasters R. Praggnanandhaa and Leon Mendonca. So it came as little surprise when the team entered the final round with the top spot already secured," FIDE added. The Velammal School has produced several grandmasters over the years since 2005 including SP Sethuraman, Mendonca, K Priyadharshan, B Adhiban, Vishnu Prasanna, Visakh NR, Vignesh NR, M Karthikeyan, C Aravindh, Karthik Venkataraman, V Pranav, S Bharath, Arjun Kalyan, P Karthikeyan and N Srinath. Among the women grandmasters from the school are R Vaishali, a Grandmaster and sister of Praggnanandhaa, Varshini S, R Rakshitta and B Savitha Shri. 'They also have a champion like Anand to look up to," the school's chess co-coordinator S Velavan had told PTI in December last year. 'Since most of the children coming here have a genuine interest in chess, we don't have to push them. They combine studies and chess well, and, in fact, the students who play chess have done even better in their studies," he added. Velammal Vidyalaya, which has won the FIDE World School Teams Championship for five consecutive years in the past, follows the '7 to 17 programme' which was introduced in schools by former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa in 2013. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's National School of Physics and Mathematics won the silver medal as they had the same number of match points as The Harker School from the USA, but 'edged them out on tiebreaks". The Harker School finished third ahead of Astana 2 RSPM. Velammal Vidyalaya's Pranav KP who played reserve on board five, along with Imangali Akhilbay (Kazakhstan NSPM) on board two and Edisa Berdibaeva (Kazakhstan NSPM) finished with perfect scores (eight out of eight). In all, Velammal Vidyalaya finished their eight games with 16 points. PTI DDV APA APA view comments First Published: August 07, 2025, 13:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
