Chess king Manuel Arron, who brought to life the 64-member game of two knights, two elephants, two camels, eight soldiers, a king and a vizier (queen) in Sangamnagar, entered his 86th spring today (December 30). Six decades ago, Aaron played his first chess tournament at Allahabad University. Aaron, who earned a BSc degree from Ewing Christian College (ECC) in 1955, said he learned chess from his elder sister Phylicia at the age of just six.
Manuel Aron was born on 30 December 1935 in Myanmar. His father BR Aaron was a cafeteria manager at Sam Higginbottom University of Agricultural Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) and mother Pushpam was a housewife. After completing his primary education in Tamil Nadu, he moved to Prayagraj with his family in the 60s. While studying here, he played the first chess tournament in Allahabad University and defeated his opponents with his intelligence. After this this sequence did not stop.
He is now training as a Grand Master under the Aaron Chess Academy in Chennai. Aaron, who was the king of chess in India from 1960 to 1970, was selected in the Stockholm Inter Zonal in 1962. There he fought with legends like Lajes Portisch, Wolfgang, Allman. Nine-time national champion Aaron became the first Indian sportsperson to win the Arjuna Award in 1962. National Titles From 1969 to 1973, Tamil Nadu won 11 state championships.
