Kalyani Devi temple, nearly 1500 year old Hindu shrine located in the heart of Allahabad, is famous for drawing devotees in thousands. Very few would know that amid long queues of devotees, stand a number of chess champions because of the special bond the temple shares with the sport. Himself a great player of chess and wrestling, whatever time he used to get after offering prayers to Maa Kalyani, he used to spend time in honing his skills in chess. In 1992, he organised state-level championship,” said Shyamji, who started organising the championship after the death of his father in 2002. Anandji (pappanji) Tandon who is also a chess player said they were now organising the state-level championship of chess from September 1 with a prize money of Rs 1 lakh.

Source: Hindustan Times September 01, 2017 09:00 UTC