There was a point when Sabarinathan Iyyappan looked at what chess was costing his family and considered walking away from the game.

“I told my father that chess was costing us too much and that I could stop. He said, ‘Play as long as I am alive. You can think about stopping after that,’” Sabarinathan told Sportstar.

For the 15-year-old Class 10 student from a government school in Nagapattinam district, that assurance has carried him farther than the family’s finances often could.

Sabarinathan is now FIDE-rated in classical and rapid chess, at 1476 and 1450 respectively. He has competed outside Tamil Nadu, including at an international FIDE-rated tournament in Assam, and has played rated events in Dindigul and Thiruvarur. Each trip, however, has demanded a calculation away from the board: the entry fee, travel, food, and the wages his father may lose by accompanying him.

His introduction to chess came through his younger brother, who learnt the game first and showed him how the pieces moved. Both wanted to compete, but the family could not afford to send two children to tournaments. His brother had to stop, while Sabarinathan continued.

“We could not both travel for tournaments. It was difficult at home, so only one of us could continue,” he said.

His father, Iyyappan, works as a construction labourer. On days when work is available, he earns about Rs. 600 to 700. He said the amount was barely sufficient for the household, even before chess became part of the family budget.

“That income is difficult enough to manage our family expenses with. Even then, I have spent beyond what I earn for my son’s chess,” Iyyappan said.

He estimates that Sabarinathan has played about 40 tournaments, collecting certificates and medals along the way. Even a modest entry fee can force the family to choose which events he can attend. On some occasions, coaches and well-wishers have paid the fee.

“The tournament fee is often more than what my father earns in a day. That is why I do not go to many tournaments,” Sabarinathan said.

The financial constraints extended to his training. Before receiving outside help, Sabarinathan trained and played on his father’s old basic touchscreen phone. During one online event, he was in contention to finish first when the connection failed. He eventually finished third.

Even so, the lack of reliable technology did not stop him from building a routine around the game. He returns from school at about 5.30 pm, attends tuition from 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm and then trains online for roughly two hours. He had received some coaching, but access to sustained training remained limited by cost and distance.

That began to change after Mohamed Ashik, who runs the Instagram page A Broke College Kid, came across Sabarinathan’s story. The page highlighted the family’s circumstances and helped arrange an iPad, a chessboard and coaching. Sabarinathan now trains online under coach Balamurugan.

Sabarinathan Iyyappan with five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand during the Chennai Grand Masters. The 15-year-old FIDE-rated player from Nagapattinam recently met his idol after receiving support from the chess community. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The assistance has altered small but important parts of his day. A stable device means a coaching session can be completed without a weak phone or unreliable connection deciding its outcome. It also gives him access to games, lessons and analysis that young players at established academies can take for granted.

Suthershun, known online as GoofyGenChess, later presented him with a chessboard signed by Viswanathan Anand. Earlier this month, Ashik took Sabarinathan to the Chennai Grand Masters, where he met the five-time world champion.

For a boy who had followed elite chess from Nagapattinam with limited access to technology, the visit offered his first close look at a tournament of that scale. Yet the family knows that a memorable day and a new device, valuable as they are, cannot by themselves sustain a chess career.

Coaching, tournament exposure and travel are recurring expenses, not one-time needs. That is why the family’s appeal to the Tamil Nadu government and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) is for sustained, structured assistance. Support with coaching, entry fees and travel would allow him to compete consistently, while a school programme that accommodates both chess and academics could keep him from having to choose between the two after Class 10.

“I want chess and education for him together. If there is a school that can support both, that is all I ask. I do not want anything else,” Iyyappan said.

The recent attention has eased one of his deepest anxieties. Earlier, every prospective tournament brought the same questions: how would they get there, whom could he ask for help, and how would he meet the cost? Now, with people willing to guide Sabarinathan, Iyyappan feels less alone.

“What they have done is a big help. I no longer have the same fear,” he said. “I believe my son can become a Grandmaster, even a world champion, if he is taken to that level.”

Sabarinathan’s ambition is not unusual in a state that has produced generations of elite chess players. The circumstances in which he is pursuing it are. The next stage will require something more durable. Talent may begin the journey, but for players such as Sabarinathan, the opportunity to keep playing is itself the first prize.

Comments

Published on Jul 24, 2026