A nine-year-old wheelchair-ridden boy suffering from a rare genetic disease has set an exemplary example by getting a patent for his invention of six-player circular chess here.
Despite suffering from duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive degenerative disorder of muscle tissue which affects only males, Hridayeshwar Singh Bhati - a class-IV student of Delhi Public School - has made an innovative version of circular chess for two, three, four and six players.
"So far, four-player circular chess was available. Hridayeshwar is the youngest disabled person in the world to get the patent for invention," his father S. S. Bhati said. He said that Hridayeshwar developed liking for the game when he began his studies.
"I wanted all my friends to play chess at one time so I asked my father to buy me another chess board for this purpose. He said no such chess board was available so I conceived the idea for developing such chess board," the kid said. Hridayeshwar's father, a math teacher, assisted him in developing the design.
"The idea and design is created by my son. He applied his own thought but as a math teacher, I assisted him geometrically," Bhari said.
"We are now working on a chess board on which 60 players can play together. Commercialisation is not the motive...it is aimed at inspiring others that despite worst condition, one can give best results," he said.