The village that plays chess to help cure alcoholism in India

The villagers of Marottichal have found a new passion instead of indulging in alcohol as before.

People in Marottichal, a small village in the southern Indian state of Kerala, are passionate about chess. Everyone in the village enjoys the game, and when they are not playing, they discuss chess strategies.

The small village was once immersed in alcohol. Photo: Oddity Central.

The villagers had never heard of the game before. In the 60s and 70s, their whole concern was alcohol. They brewed alcohol and lived on it. Many became addicted to the cheap alcohol, which had disastrous consequences. It got so bad that some villagers asked the authorities to conduct raids and confiscate all the alcohol.

Things began to change when a 10th grader in the village named Unnikrishnan decided to learn chess. Inspired by American legend Bobby Fischer, the student went to a neighboring village to take chess classes, while also practicing at home. Once he became proficient, he set a goal of spreading the game to everyone in the village.

Unnikrishnan started free chess classes at his home and welcomed anyone who wanted to learn. Gradually, the passion for chess spread throughout the village. People not only learned the game but also developed a deep passion for it. Over four decades, Unnikrishnan has trained more than 600 people, many of whom have won chess tournaments across the state.

The sight of people passionately playing chess has become a familiar sight at Marottichal. Photo: Oddity Central

“About 90 percent of the villagers know how to play chess,” said Sreenivasan, president of the Gram Panchayat, a self-governing organization of villages in India. Last August, Marottichal was crowned India’s first “chess village.” Viswanathan Anand, a national chess legend, congratulated the villagers on their achievement.

Unnikrishnan now runs a restaurant in Marottichal where people can come and play chess anytime. He has set aside an area near his house as a gathering place for chess enthusiasts aged between 8 and 80. As a result, alcohol has almost completely disappeared from everyone's mind.

“Chess is my passion. Once I start playing, I forget everything. It is a kind of addiction for me,” says Unnikrishnan.

According to vnexpress.net