<Chess Player Hangs Self

KOLKATA: Shanker Roy, one of Bengal's leading chess players, committed suicide in the early hours of Tuesday.

Thirty-six-year-old Roy was found hanging at his North Kolkata residence around 4am. According to police officers, Roy hung himself from the ceiling fan of his room with his wife's dupatta. In his suicide note, Roy did not blame anyone for his death.

Early investigation revealed that Roy had been suffering from depression for the past few years. He had attempted to take his life three-and-a-half years back by setting himself on fire. Timely intervention by family members had saved him then.

Police said Roy's father, who was ill for a while, also committed suicide a few days ago. Till Monday night, in fact, the family was busy with the last rites of senior Roy.

Shanker's suicide note suggests that he was depressed over the old burn wounds sustained during his previous suicide attempt as he could no longer bear the pain.

Roy was one of the city's brightest chess players. He had shown promise as a schoolboy and made rapid strides to emerge as the national under-15 champion. He won the state championship four times on the trot between 1995 and 1998 and went on to claim the national rapid chess crown before becoming an International Master. He also held two Grandmaster norms, just missing out on the prestigious GM title.

Roy represented India in several international tournaments in countries like Brazil, Romania, Russia and Singapore. An employee of Eastern Railway, he stopped playing on the professional chess circuit after participating in an international tournament in 2007 and took up coaching thereafter.

After stints at the Alekhine Chess Club and Goodricke Chess Academy, Roy took charge of Diptayan Ghosh and helped him win the Asian under-12 title.>