Cricket legend and Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday expressed his support to the ongoing National Chess Championship for the visually challenged, organised by the All India Chess Federation for the Blind.Himself a chess aficionado, Tendulkar tweeted: "Chess lovers, join me in wishing all the participants of the AICFB's National Chess Championship for the Blind 2018. Best of Luck."He tweeted his wishes to AICFB President Charudatta Jadhav, himself a blind chess champion and winner of the National Award for the Best Disabled Employee of the Year.Jadhav has been been spearheading various events for the blind, including the blind chess tournament which got underway on February 3 and will end on February 11 at the Andheri Sports Complex.
The only corporate sponsor for the event is Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) and the Chess Base India which arranged for financial support from the entire chess community.A total of 14 blind players from across the country are participating in the prestigious event and the final winner will be crowned India's National Blind Chess Champion 2018.The top players will form the Indian teams for the upcoming World Team Championships in July in Bulgaria and World Junior for the Blind to be held in Poland in August."Established in 1997, the AICFB promotes the game of chess among the blind and is affiliated to the All India Chess Federation and the International Braille Chess Association (IBCA), the apex global body for chess for the blind," said Jadhav.