MUMBAI, MAY 18: Former National chess champion, Ramchandra Sapre passed away after a brief illness this morning. He was 84 and is survived by a son and three daughters. Sapre had taken part in the 1956 and 1962 Chess Olympiads. He had won his first National Chess Championship in the year 1956. Sapre was ranked in the top 10 in India till 1976. India's third Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay, said Sapre was among the best players of the country. ``We respected him not only as a player but as a person also. He was also extremly helpful as far as analysing the positions were concerned. You give him a position, he will analyse it till the end .``I remember him giving us lectures during our inter-schools tournament. Later when we graduated to playing at a higher level, Sapre was continued to be seen at the Zandu canteen where the city's best players desended then. Thipsay felt, Sapre was a great teacher of the game from the strategic point. ``He was way ahead as far as strategy was concerned. If he had been activenow, he could have made a great coach.
``He always got into the top six of the National A in the 60s and 70s. Later when he was not winning so frequently, he would at least finish third or fourth with Manuel Aaron winning.
``It was a pity that between 1961 and 1973, there was no international competitions for Indians. As such there was lack of competitive spirit among the players then.
A noted chess columnist, he had also featured in the The Indian Express.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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