In what is being described as “a landmark moment” for the All India Chess Federation (AICF), a new era of leadership has been ushered in with unanimous elections of its office-bearers for 2024-27 term.
Nitin Narang, who hails from Karnal in Haryana, has been elected the president, the first from the state to hold the office in AICF.
Narang, 36, remained vice-president of the Haryana Chess Association and is credited for promoting chess at the grassroots level. He is also the youngest-ever national president of AICF.
As per the AICF, the election proceedings were held under the supervision of returning officers justice Rang Nath Pandey (retd) and justice GS Sistani (retd) in Delhi.
Justice Pandey is a former judge of Allahabad high court and Justice Sistani, a former judge of the Delhi high court.
Dev Patel from Gujarat has been elected the secretary, the youngest to hold this position, along with Dharmendra Kumar from Bihar who has been elected the treasurer.
One of the six joint secretaries is Sanjeev Thakur from Himachal Pradesh.
According to AICF, all office-bearers were elected unopposed, symbolising a unified vision and commitment towards the development of Indian chess.
The general body also elected six vice-presidents and six joint secretaries. The newly appointed vice presidents are Anil Kumar Raizada (Uttar Pradesh), Dibyendu Barua (West Bengal), Raghvendra Singhania (Chhattisgarh), DP Anantha (Karnataka), Mahaveer Ranka (Rajasthan) and Repo Ronya (Arunachal Pradesh).
The elected joint secretaries are Kandarpa Kalita (Assam), Prasanta Kundu (Tripura), Soibam Mangijao Singh (Manipur), H Lalthlamuana (Mizoram), Sanjeev Thakur (Himachal Pradesh) and Manish Kumar (Jharkhand).
“This is a dynamic and diverse leadership team at the helm and the AICF is poised to advance the sport of chess across the country,” said an office bearer of the AICF.
The AICF is the central governing body for chess in India. Established in 1951, the AICF has been instrumental in organising national championships, supporting players at all levels, and representing India in international chess competitions.
