Ahmedabad: Two friends opened the city’s eyes to the checkmating capacity that people with disabilities can have when Rahul Vaghela, who is blind, beat 100-plus sighted opponents to win a chess tourney. Dhruv Bhuva, who is partially blind, ranked third.Rahul, a third-year BA student at LD Arts College, finished ahead of more than 100 participants from 50 colleges at Gujarat University’s university-level challenge.Dhruv is a first-year BA student at HK Arts College. Both train at Blind People’s Association (BPA).Rahul’s path to the title needed resolute moves to navigate financial hardship at home. His parents make brooms for a living.“I must have been about 10 years of age when I first got my hands on the chess pieces,” Rahul said. “The strategy the game needs intrigued me, and what started as a hobby soon turned into a major part of my life and identity.”Earlier this year, Rahul secured the All-India 10th rank at a national-level blind chess tournament held in Bengaluru.That performance has positioned him for an opportunity to represent India at an international blind chess event to be held in Greece later this year.On playing with sighted opponents, Rahul stressed the power of chess to neutralise physical differences. “Chess is one of the few games that provides a level playing field to the blind against the sighted,” he said. “It is a game of wits and mental strategy.”He added, “It feels great to have become the champion in a tournament where I was one of the only four players with blindness.”Rahul said he hoped his performance would change the perception of people with disabilities.Paritosh Dave, the chess coach at BPA, said that in recent years, Gujarat has produced talented chess players who are blind.He said training structures have encouraged growing participation.“In this tournament, the players used the conventional and the specialised board,” Dave said. “On the latter, the black squares are elevated slightly. Moreover, the black pieces have a dot that can be felt by touch.”Dhruv’s third-place finish marked his first major breakthrough. Another blind player, Rahul Sahani, was placed eighth, putting three visually impaired players in the tournament’s Top 10.Dhruv has been sharpening his game through regular tournaments and coaching, and learning from senior players such as Rahul.For his part, Rahul says his friends are vital to his preparation.“My friends study my opponents’ gameplay and help me strategise,” he said. “They also help me understand classic games and keep me abreast of the major tournaments’ outcomes and tactics of some famous players. I warmly wish them on Friendship Day.”
