India Loses Chess Pioneer

From the Hindu.com January 17, 2009 Subbarayan passes away BANGALORE: India’s first international chess arbiter and veteran chess administrator L.S. Subbarayan died here on Friday following a cardiac arrest. He was 79 and is survived by wife, son and a daughter. Mr. Lalgudi Saptharishi Subbarayan, who was born in Mysore was the son of illustrious mathematician Saptharishi Iyer of Mysore University. ‘LSS’, as he was affectionately called, worked in the Postal Department in Chennai till 1964 and also served as secretary of the Madras Chess Association. After his transfer to Mysore, he became the secretary of the Mysore State Chess Association and later became the treasurer of the All India Chess Federation. Subbarayan qualified as an International Arbiter in the Asian women’s championship held at Hyderabad in 1978 and was also the arbiter for the Grandmasters event held in Bangalore in 1981. — Special Correspondent