Kathmandu: Himalayan Chess Academy (HCA) has started a special training session from Sunday. International Master (IM) Atanu Lahiri, the winner of the 1999 Commonwealth Chess Championship, will conduct the session.

The academy has launched a week-long “Masterclass with IM Lahiri” for intermediate-level students along with a Training of Trainers (ToT) program for coaches.

According to HCA, masterclass will have sessions on openings, mid and game ending strategies. This week-long special training is being conducted at the academy’s own chess hall located in Thapathali, Kathmandu.

“It is difficult to conduct chess training in a systematic way in Nepal, so we brought in internationally renowned FIDE trainer Lahiri to Kathmandu,” says Monalisha Khambu, the founder of the Himalayan Chess Academy. “He is a world-class coach who has already trained world class chess players. We brought him not only to provide not just to train to our players but also to enhance the skills of our coaches. His presence will contribute to the development of chess in Nepal.”

Lahiri, who reached a peak FIDE rating of 2450 in his career, has coached national teams from Nepal, Bhutan, Guyana, Thailand, Mongolia, and India over his nearly three-decade-long coaching career. He previously trained the Nepali national team in 2005.

Lahiri has also served as the continental representative for the FIDE Education Commission.