Some of Regina’s top youth chess players gathered at the George Bothwell Regina Public Library on Saturday to take part in a tournament organized by a local Grade 10 student. The tournament followed a double elimination format, with two students representing each school. Ages upwards of 18 years of age were eligible to compete. Each game was timed at five minutes - forcing students to make quick second decisions. Sougoto Das Chakrabarty, a Grade 10 student at Sheldon Williams Collegiate School organized the tournament. Compared to some contestants who started playing chess as young as 8 years of age, he didn’t discover his love for chess until the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were mostly staying indoors. He started playing with his father, not expecting where he would get to today. “At first, I was like, this is a game for smart people, and I don’t consider myself a ‘smart person,” he explained. “However, I found that the game can relate to many different aspects of life. Anything you do, we can relate chess to it. In chess, every single move matters, there’s no luck either, so if you win, you’ve earned it. If you lose, you can learn from it.” “I believe it also teaches that even in tough positions you are patient, calm and persistent,” he added. Das Chakrabarty’s inspiration for this event started when he visited Bangladesh a few years ago. He spoke to someone around his age, who worked to “keep the lights on” in the house. “That really stuck with me. I’m here in this country, privileged with the right of education. We have free health care in Canada, while children in other countries have to suffer and have to work,” he said. “I wanted to do something about that. I felt that was unfair, and since I’m in a position to make a change, I want to make that change. I want to do whatever I can to help those who can’t help themselves.” That pushed him to make a difference in the Regina community, allowing a space for younger kids to not only compete, but have fun playing the game of chess. Das Chakrabarty hopes to repeat this same competition and hopes to start a fundraiser for the tournament in the future.
