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HYDERABAD, Dec. 11

JUST imagine the possibility of training about a million school children across the country simultaneously on computer skills and thereafter exposing them to the mind game of chess.

Well if what has been conjured by NIIT Ltd, and the chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand is something to go by, this is certain to be reality.

If catch them young is the punch line to tap the latent potential of the youth, this initiative seems to be bang on target as it seeks to blend the best of both technology training as also the benefits that chess as a mind game can bring to the lives of schoolkids.

What started as a spark during a world chess championship about two years ago, has turned into reality with NIIT and Viswanathan Anand teaming up with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, to establish a NIIT Mind Champions' Academy here to promote chess in schools .

Why does this look like a winning combination? Well NIIT@School, the IT education for school unit of NIIT, has already teamed up with over 2,000 schools all over the country to impart IT education . In Andhra Pradesh alone, where NIIT is engaged in about 663 schools out of about 1000 schools, which were awarded to private entrepreneurs to spread IT education, about 3,00,000 students will be taught the game of chess.

Anand said studies have revealed that chess helps students to concentrate and register improvement in academics. Interestingly, it has proven that this enhances lateral thinking skills among children and also helps channelise their thoughts to a more meaningful use while cutting them off from other distractions.

The launch of the academy, which coincided with the 33rd birthday of Anand, is hoped to expose students in the age group of 10-15 years, to the world of chess. The students will use computers in their schools as a virtual playfield to practice chess on chess software.

The NIIT Chairman , Mr Rajendra S. Pawar, said the Academy is a logical extension of "our close relationship with Anand, our brand ambassador".

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