Vijayawada: Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta inaugurated the first Amaravati International FIDE Rating Chess Tournament 2026 at the Sports Activity Centre of VIT-AP University on Monday.

The eight-day tournament, jointly organised by VIT-AP University and the Andhra Pradesh Chess Association, runs from June 1 to 8 and has drawn hundreds of players from India and abroad.

Gupta urged participants to act as ambassadors for a drug-free society, describing chess as a symbol of discipline, strategy and intelligence. He said the game teaches young people to make thoughtful decisions and expressed hope that the event would produce future champions.

Calling India the birthplace of chess, Gupta termed the tournament a historic milestone. “Chess, which originated here, has travelled the world and is now returning to shine on an international platform in Amaravati,” he said, linking the event to the vision of Swarna Andhra 2047 and Viksit Bharat.

Inspector General AK Ravi Krishna highlighted anti-drug initiatives under the AP Eagle programme, including “Operation Safe Campus Zone,” aimed at protecting 70 lakh students. He noted that 40,000 Eagle Clubs have been set up statewide.

Guntur SP Vakul Jindal added that sports like chess channel youth energy positively. He said nearly 400 arrests had been made in drug-related cases over the past six months and stressed the need for awareness programmes in schools and colleges.