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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Health
Gordon Cole-Schmidt

‘Beautiful board’: How chess saved an Indian village from alcohol, gambling

Baby John India Alcohol Al Jazeera Addiction Gukesh Dommaraju
A crowd gathers around a chess game at a teashop in Marottichal, a sleepy village in India's Kerala state once known for alcoholism that's now famed for its chess [Mirja Vogel/Al Jazeera]

Marottichal, India – Phones, wallets and half-drunk teacups clutter empty tables – except for one – at a teahouse in southern India, where a crowd has formed around a chess board and two competitors.

One of them is 15-year-old Gowrishankar Jayaraj. Surrounded by spectators vying for a view of the chess board, Jayaraj is competing blindfolded.

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