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| P.T.Ummer Koya, Kozhikode |
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Following the death of his parents, P.T.Ummer Koya’s formal education had come to a standstill after class 3. Yet in the next 40 years he rose up from the oppressive lack of opportunities to become the Vice President of International Chess Federation (FIDE) for the 3rd consecutive time.
After saying goodbye to formal education, he taught himself through books. And that quest led him to the University Library, Calicut where he met the renowned teacher of English, C.Shepherd. As per this teacher’s advice he took up B.A. studies through correspondence.
In 1974 he joined as an operator in the water treatment plant of the university. This gave him ample opportunities to refer to chess books in the university library and to meet like-minded persons.
It was during this time that his friend and 3-time State chess champion and winner of Soviet Land Brilliance Prize winner, Sasidharan committed suicide. Koya then made up his mind to do something for chess. In memory of his friend he organized a tournament at Payyannur, the native place of Sasidharan. This was followed by the Shepherd Memorial tournament at the University in 1980.
During 1980s his area of influence reached the national level. In 1985 he became the joint secretary and in 1989 the secretary of National Chess Federation. In 1994 he became the General Secreatary of Commonwealth Chess Association and in 1996 the FIDE Vice President. In the 1998 and 2002 too he became the elected Vice President of the international body.
Though he had a chance to become the President of FIDE, he declined the offer as the job would have entitled him to stay full time in Sweden, when his first love is to bring up the game in the land of its origin.
These days he is busy with the setting up of a Chess academy at Areekad, near Kozhikode. “It is my great desire to make India the top chess playing nation by 2012,” he says.
Courtesy: Sreejith K.Varriar, Malayala Manorama, January 19, 2003
Contributed by: Administrator
