From Bytes to Boards: A Prodaptian's Story of Winning Moves in Chess and Career

Choponbabu RK joined Prodapt 13 years ago. His career trajectory runs parallel to the growth he’s witnessed outside of the office - from a chess player to a FIDE arbiter (referee), and now a trainer and coach.?A testimony to how Prodapt empowers its employees to excel professionally and personally.?

Chopon speaks about his chess journey, learnings from chess that resonate at the workplace, being a Prodaptian, and shares his message for people passionate about sports who look to balance their passion with work.?

He has played against Indian chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa (currently junior World No.1 in FIDE rankings) and Grandmaster Karthikeyan Murali, won the Vancouver Open in 2016, has arbitered 400+ chess tournaments in India, and has conducted tournaments for over 1700 kids & chess enthusiasts.??

When did you start playing chess??

I was in school, maybe in class 5 when my father introduced me to the game. But it was during college that I developed a keen interest in chess. During my engineering days, I played and won the Anna University Zonal Tournament and then started playing at the district, state, and national levels. That was the time when I used to play like 8 hours of chess every day.? I got to play my first FIDE (International Chess Federation) tournament in 2008. I would say 2008-12 was my peak when I played many many tournaments.??

At Prodapt, once when I travelled to the United States on business, I used the opportunity to also explore chess tournaments that were happening at that point in the country. I played in the Vancouver Open in 2016 (hosted by the Washington Chess Federation) and won, and this was my first international tournament. I also played in the Oregon Chess Championship in the same year and was placed second.??

Tell us your journey from being a player to an arbiter and trainer.?

In 2011, I became a FIDE Arbiter for the World Junior Chess Championship (for U-19). I’ve had the privilege of representing the state of Tamil Nadu as the Deputy Chief Arbiter for the U-14 and U-9 chess tournaments.??

Besides playing chess and arbitering during tournaments, I realized I really enjoy coaching kids. So far, I’ve coached over 250 children. In 2022, I conducted the Tharun Tejas Tamil Nadu state-level chess tournament for children. I received a lot of support from Prodapt for this and the tournament was a great success. It saw over 1, 000 students participating. Last year, I conducted the second edition of this tournament, which had over 700 participants. I feel good seeing the kind of interest kids show towards the game.??

How has Prodapt encouraged you in this journey??

Prodapt has been instrumental in my journey as a chess player, trainer and tournament organiser. Besides the support I’ve received to go and play tournaments, my boss Rajesh Khanna Jalandhar and Mr.Ramanan GV, Senior Director, have encouraged me a lot to pursue chess along with work. People like Vijayan R and Mary Vikram from our HR have also encouraged and motivated me a lot. I’ve been able to go out and play and also conduct chess tournaments only because of the kind of trust that my company has in me.??

Tell us your proudest moment as a Prodaptian.?

There are many. But winning the PACE award (Prodapt’s biggest award saluting workplace excellence) in 2017 stands out.??

Whom do you idolise??

?As a young boy growing up in Chennai and being drawn to chess, I was inspired by Indian Grandmaster and five-time World Chess Champion, Vishwanathan Anand.?Vishy is very humble and down to earth.

What learnings from chess do you apply at work??

Before each game, and also before a key project at work, we need to plan and prepare to ensure what we present is accurate. I feel these 3Ps – planning, preparation, and presentation – determine the outcome of a chess game as well as a work project. Besides the 3Ps, there’s dedication, strategic-thinking and decision-making that I’ve learned playing chess and try to apply it to work.??

What advice would you give on balancing work with passion??

I know it’s often difficult to balance both. But the key here is to never give up. As cliche as it may sound, it’s important to keep finding time for your passion and to pursue it with a strong zeal. There have been times when I’ve done a night shift and then gone straight to play a chess game. Dedication and persistence count here. Irrespective of the form in which I get to contribuProdapt has been instrumental in my journey as a chess player, trainer and tournament organiser. Besides the support I’ve received to go and play tournaments, my boss Rajesh Khanna Jalandhar and Mr.Ramanan GV, Senior Director, have encouraged me a lot to pursue chess along with work. People like Vijayan R and Mary Vikram from our HR have also encouraged and motivated me a lot. I’ve been able to go out and play and also conduct chess tournaments only because of the kind of trust that my company has in me.??

Tell us your proudest moment as a Prodaptian.?

There are many. But winning the PACE award (Prodapt’s biggest award saluting workplace excellence) in 2017 stands out.??

Whom do you idolise??

?As a young boy growing up in Chennai and being drawn to chess, I was inspired by Indian Grandmaster and five-time World Chess Champion, Vishwanathan Anand.?Vishy is very humble and down to earth.

What learnings from chess do you apply at work??

Before each game, and also before a key project at work, we need to plan and prepare to ensure what we present is accurate. I feel these 3Ps – planning, preparation, and presentation – determine the outcome of a chess game as well as a work project. Besides the 3Ps, there’s dedication, strategic-thinking and decision-making that I’ve learned playing chess and try to apply it to work.??

What advice would you give on balancing work with passion??

I know it’s often difficult to balance both. But the key here is to never give up. As cliche as it may sound, it’s important to keep finding time for your passion and to pursute, I’ve made chess a part of my existence. Be it as a player or as an arbiter, trainer, or tournament organizer. This is what gives me satisfaction and brings new meaning to my life.??