Gyanada, The Chess Robot

In this ancient land chess was supposed to have originated. However, it was the present- day Russians who produced world champions like in an assembly line. The tech savvy Prime Minister who believed in the ancient glory of the nation wanted to recapture that glory. He proclaimed a strategy called the “Make in India.” He further decreed that scientists and sadhus assemble an Artificial Intelligent device that could challenge the reigning champion Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen had humiliated the Indian champion Vishy as he was fondly called twice at the world championships.

The operation began in secrecy and it was code name “Shatranj.” A team of 108 scientists, sadhus and sadhvis, chess players and others had assembled at the Indian Vedic Research Organisation (IVRO), a cutting-edge organisation with untold budgets personally set up at the behest of the PM. They began the operation with a havan of “Make in India” and ensured that the smoke was sufficient to provide a deep cover so that foreign satellites don’t figure out the assembly at IVRO. Finally, an AI was assembled in quick time and the PM proudly announced to the world in a specially called televised program. India then became an elite member of the 4- nation group to possess AI devices of over 200 IQ. It was called “Gyanada” named after the goddess of learning. Carlsen was invited for a 6 classic matches. World awaited with deep breath as the match began. Gyanada tasted first blood as the magn’us’ificent Carlsen was defeated. Carlsen regrouped his team which now included the top chess player from Pakistan and he levelled the second match. Eventually the scores tied at 3-3. Not happy with the result the team, it was learnt, have gone back to the ancient scripts to discover yet to be discovered insights to improve upon the Gyanada.

Such a game of chess was like life itself. I made the first move in my love life as I had invited the girl of my liking in my class to join me a in a project assignment. Thus our team work began and later became life work itself. Chess as a game goes like this: The chess King was, like the typical king of yesteryear, had the Queen, 2-elephants, 2-knights (or Horses), 2- bishops and the 8 pawns. The queen and the other pieces fight the battle with the opponent to save the King. In correct political terms many things were wrong with the game of chess one could say. Why it is that queen had to save the king? Why not the other way around? Chess was essentially a man’s world though there are a few big names like Judith Polgar who was a famous female chess player. The chess was also built on the edifice of hierarchy in the human society with the sacrificial pawns from time immemorial. From the conservation point of view why it was that elephants and horses were sacrificed to protect human? Talking of the chess king, he was the most useless piece and one wonders how the game evolved to protect such a useless being. The chess king often reminds of retired men who cannot even make a cup of tea for their wives who never had any retirement.

Lest I was beginning to sound like an argumentative Indian of the Amartya Sen fame let me add that” Chess was like an art, science and sport combined together” as Karpov, a Russian world champion, had stated. I too loved my game of chess and had my moments of glory at college when I was part of the team that fetched a gold in the inter-hostel chess championship and my personal stock went up.

By the way do you know of the shortest joke in the world? Here goes “once there was a blonde who wanted to play chess.” Such a blonde went up to a chess master who was also a mathematician and said please coach me in chess. The mathematician said that beauty * brain is a constant and lest you lose your beauty in the process. So, she went up to Bernard Shaw said let us marry so that our progeny would have the brawn of yours and the beauty of mine. Shaw declined the proposal with a retort “what if it happens the other way around.”

Like Vishy the city of Chennai had also seen the rise of another Grand Master by the name Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. The young prodigy’s name was numerologically changed and since then became his ascendance in the chess world as per a secret file noting of the IVRO’s archives.

A translation of an ancient script Jaal was made. It read as 

The pieces of thought in the chess board

of the mind have got unstuck.

Then the thought made some deft moves

and words were arranged in some poetry.

Thoughts like the pawns were sacrificed 

and new thoughts emerged.

Black knight pierced the white armor

And claimed the queen.

The king resigned

And the declaration he signed

War was over and peace prevailed.

And the team of 108 while trying to decipher the poem delved deeper into the maze and were repeating their moves as if blindfolded.