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AICF Launches Top National Players Stipend Scheme to Support Young Chess Talent

Goverment Scheme | Dated: 26 Jun 2025

On 25 June 2025, the All India Chess Federation (AICF) launched the ‘Top National Players Stipend Scheme’ (TNPSS), aimed at financially supporting India’s rising chess stars. In its first phase, ₹42.3 lakh was disbursed as quarterly stipends to 42 promising players across age groups from U‑7 to U‑19.

🎯 Key Highlights:

  • - Under TNPSS, 42 top-performing young chess players—from U‑7 to U‑19, equally represented across boys and girls—received stipends ranging between ₹60,000 and ₹1.5 lakh for the April–June 2025 quarter.
  • - In the first wave of payouts, AICF transferred a total of ₹42.30 lakh directly into the players’ bank accounts, reflecting a historic milestone in Indian chess support structures.
  • - The scheme addresses key challenges faced by budding chess prodigies, such as expenses for training, travel, coaching, and competition. AICF President Nitin Narang stated this initiative is meant to “demonstrate belief in every young chess player in Bharat.”

💡 Other Important Facts:

  • (i) The scheme is projected to run for two years with a budget exceeding ₹6.15 crore, ensuring sustained financial aid and long-term investment in nurturing top junior talent.
  • (ii) Beneficiaries were chosen anonymously based on their national championship performance during 2024, ensuring inclusivity across age groups, regions, and gender. Each category—both boys and girls—has three top players per age group under the scheme.
  • (iii) TNPSS is part of AICF’s larger vision—supported by a ₹65 crore overall budget—to elevate India as a global chess powerhouse. This vision dovetails with national policy objectives aimed at identifying and investing in young sporting talent from grassroots to elite levels.

📚 Test Your Knowledge:

How much total amount was recently disbursed by the All India Chess Federation (AICF) in the first phase of the Top National Players Stipend Scheme?

Correct Answer: ₹42.3 lakh

🚀 Quick Recap:

About AICF (All India Chess Federation)

  • President: Nitin Narang
  • Headquarters: New Delhi