In a path breaking move, IT giant WIPRO "Applying Thought" announced its support to chess in a big way, beginning with
Aarthie Ramaswamy, the Girls Under 18 World Champion and
Harikrishna, Asian Under 14 Champion and the youngest International Master in the country. Aarthie was presented with a Wipro Voyager desktop computer by Mr C E Sridhar, Vice-President (Operations), Wipro Technologies, in a simple function held at Hotel GRT Grand Days, Chennai on Tuesday, 30th May, 2000.
 Mr P Anirudh, Corporate Brand Manager, Wipro Corporation, announced that the company is taking the two young champions under its wings. "Wipro will sponsor the two high potential players - Aarthie and Harikrishna - for a period of three years. It will include training under international class coaches, travel to tournaments in India and abroad, participation fees and stay. To begin with the two will undergo intensive coaching under Super Grandmaster Evegeny Vladimirov, the reputed international coach from Kazakhstan. Vladimirov was Garry Kasparov's second in the 80s. Coaching will take place in Bangalore from June 15 to July 14, 2000. There will also be specialised training in meditation and physical fitness."
Simultaneously, for the first time in Indian Chess history, Wipro will also be organising intensive coaching for 30 of the country's brightest young prospects, during the same period (June15 to July 14), in Kozhikode. "The top three players in the Girl's and Boy's sections in the Under 10, 12, 14, 16 categories and the Under 18 Champion along with Mekhala Abhinav, Abhijit Gupta, V K Sindhu, Soumya Swaminathan and Tania Sachdev, medal winners in the Asian championship in Teheran, will train under GM Maxim Sorokin of Argentina. Boarding and lodging has been arranged by us," said Mr Anirudh. He also added, that depending upon the response the company will consider making this a regular feature.
 Mr Murali Mohan, Aarthie's first coach from 1992 to 1995 and International Master R B Ramesh, her present trainer, spoke about the Champion's commitment, attitude, and never say die spirit. Aarthie, while thanking Wipro for its support, said after the National "A" in Mumbai commencing next week, she will prepare with Grandmaster Vladimirov in Bangalore and then leave for London for the British championships and Mind Sports Olympiad. Speaking about the recent chess match-fixing scandal, Aarthie said, "It is very sad, but it is very rare in chess."
Wipro's generous sponsorship, coming in the wake of India hosting the FIDE World Championships in New Delhi this November, is a sure signal that Indian chess has come of age.
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