The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA) showcased plans to make India a global chess powerhouse using technology-driven tools.

They are aimed at enhancing fan engagement, provide solutions for federations to flag cheating and chess training programmes to further grow the sports at the grassroots level.

These announcements were made at Day Two of the Sports Tech Start Up Conclave being organised in New Delhi by IIT Madras CESSA.

Sending a message reaffirming the institutes’ commitment to sports education, Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “High-performance computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play a very crucial role that can aid chess players during the training phase by enumerating several scenarios and the best possible game plans for those. IIT Madras is very keen to develop such platforms with an objective to make Bharat a global chess powerhouse.”

IIT Madras CESSA also plans to offer courses for upgrading skills and undertake specific steps to train various players in the sports value chain in India as part of its sports education initiative, informed a press release from the institute.

These initiatives will cover sportspersons, PE instructors, coaches, referees, analysts, physiologists, nutritionists, umpires, sports presenters and management personnel.

As part of this IIT Madras CESSA plans to launch five new courses in sports on NPTEL in the coming months.

Also under consideration are courses in AI/ML and Data Science Certificate Courses for students with sports examples integrated into it. IIT Madras also plans to launch Bachelor of Sports Science Course and a Bachelor's and Master's in Sports Management in the future.