Moving chess pieces with just his eye, Abbas wins hearts, games with a smile

Time of India

4 days ago

Panaji:
They all wait eagerly for that smile.
Seated beside Eshmuratov Abbas, his father holds his jaw firmly while the arbiter ensures his head stays still. Should either of them move their hand, the 30-year-old chess player from Uzbekistan finds himself distracted, and in some discomfort.
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The 30-year-old on a wheelchair can neither speak nor move his hands, yet when he is seated across the table facing his opponent, he counts himself as equal. In the first four rounds of the World Chess Championship for Persons with Disabilities at Dona Paula, the Uzbek has proved himself in good measure by winning two games.
'I may be handicapped, on a wheelchair, but I can think and play (chess) like a healthy person,' Abbas told TOI, communicating through his father Berdimurat, who used an iPad to type the message and then Google translate to ensure that the right message — from his son — was conveyed.
'I am happiest playing chess, it gives me a lot of joy.'
For the first two days of the 24th World IPCA (International Physically Disabled Chess Association) Individual Chess Championship here, Abbas has been the cynosure of all eyes as his father carries him into the hall. Many have circled around the table trying to figure out how the player uses eye-retina movements to control the board.
When it's time for Abbas to make a move, he simply looks at his father — facing a wall with the board behind him — and communicates through his eye-retina movement.
Once the father notes what move Abbas wants to play, he jots it down and hands it over to the arbiter.
'When I move the piece, I wait for Abbas' reaction,' said arbiter Sunetra Dagare. 'If what I have moved, based on the note provided by his father, is the right one, he smiles. If not, he stays still. Since the father does not understand English, sometimes it's difficult to figure out what he has written, but we've managed so far.'
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On Thursday, Dagare held Abbas' head and made the moves through the rounds. On one occasion, the Uzbek player wanted more time, but the chief arbiter stuck to the rules and did not make an exception. He soon gave up, losing his fourth-round clash against fellow countryman Gayimnazarov Bahadir.
Abbas had previously won two of the first three rounds, both victories coming against Indian opponents, Vikas Chandra and Venkatesan J.
FM Venkata Krishna Karthik proved too strong in the second round.
Abbas was born with a disability and has been on a wheelchair for as long as he can remember, his father said. He cannot speak, or move his hands, but when he plays chess, the joy on his face is there for all to see.
He took to chess 10 years ago and has grown in confidence with every tournament.
'Football is the other sport he follows closely on television,' his father said.
A big fan of Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, and now Spanish wonder boy Lamine Yamal, Abbas is a strong Barcelona supporter. He also cheered when Uzbekistan became the first ever Central Asian nation to qualify for the football World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Qatar in their final group game last month.
'Sometimes, I find it difficult to understand what he is trying to convey through his eye-retina movement. I then type the message on the phone or iPad and wait for his smile,' said Abbas' father.
When Berdimurat lifted his son and walked into the hall for the first time, almost everyone was close to tears. Then, that smile changed it all.