Indore: Differently-abled Delhi boy challenges IAS officer in neck-to-neck Chess tournament, officer calls 'King's Indian Defense'

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): An IDA Trophy chess tournament organised at city's private school turned into a nail-biting competition after differently-abled Vaibhav Gautam challenged IAS officer Siddharth Jain.

The 23-year-old Vaibhav suffers from cerebral palsy since birth. His 90 percent of the body does not work, in fact, he cannot even lift a piece on chess board. However, his brain is very sharp, says his father, who accompanies him to every competition.

Though the match ended in a tie, Siddharth, an Additional Commissioner in the Municipal Corporation, praised Vaibhav's sharp moves in the game.

“This match was King's Indian Defense. My key piece died in the opening 8-9 moves”, Siddharth said. He said, in such a situation most of the players lose the match.

“I would have lost the match too, but I was lucky that Vaibhav made one mistake. But he played very well," Jain added.

The IAS said he has played five matches so far. He won two matches and lost one whereas two matches ended in a draw.

Father goes with him in every competition

Vaibhav, 23, has had cerebral palsy since birth. There is no control over the body in this. Vaibhav can't even lift his chess pieces properly. His father Manoj is always with him.

He said, 'Vaibhav's mind is sharp. He has also passed the 12th examination. I believe sports are important in life. But Vaibhav can't play any game, so he was introduced to chess. We also cooperate. Wherever there is competition, I go with him.