National U-7 chess begins today

 

Sports Reporter :

INDIA’S youngest prodigies descend on the Orange City as the stage is set for future Grandmasters of Indian chess to battle it out in the 39th National Under-7 Open and Girls Chess Championships from Tuesday.
Nagpur will host the prestigious event from June 30 to July 4 that is being organised by the Maharashtra Chess Association (MCA) and the Chess Association Nagpur (CAN) in association with GH Raisoni Sports and Cultural Foundation under the aegis of the All India Chess Federation (AICF). “The high-stakes event will be held at the state-of-the-art campus of the GH Raisoni Institute of Engineering & Technology (GHRIET), Shraddha Park, MIDC, Nagpur and features a total prize fund of Rs 5,00,000.
“The event shall be inaugurated at the hands of GM Divya Deshmukh, Chess World Cup winner and pride of Nagpur,” informed Niranjan Godbole, Secretary, MCA, during a press conference on Monday.
“The championships have drawn a highly competitive pool of India’s youngest chess talent. As of now we have received 410 entries. As many as 47 boys and 29 girls from Maharashtra, including eight boys and seven girls from Nagpur, will be taking part in the event. Players from more than 20 states and union territories from across the country will showcase their mental fortitude over 9 rounds under the classic Swiss System. The matches will follow standard FIDE time control: 90 minutes per player with a 30-second increment from move one,” Godbole added.
In the Open Section, Lavik Ram Vislavath of Telangana, with an impressive FIDE rating of 1591, is the top seed. Maharashtra’s Aksh Shrivastava (1554) is 5th seed.

The girls category is led by top-seeded Udhriti Bhattacharya of West Bengal with a formidable FIDE rating of 1529. NS Liyaa Krishnan (1433), who will be spearheading Maharashtra Challenge, is seeded 8th.
Top twenty players in both sections will be rewarded with cash prize and trophies. The top three will receive Rs 50,000, Rs 36,000 and Rs 30,000 each respectively. Every participant will be awarded a participation medal.
Top finishers in both categories will represent India at the World Under-7 and Asian Under-8 Chess Championships.
Raisoni Group is among the major sponsors of the event providing the venue as well as lodging facilities for the selected players. “Our main focus is on chess and badminton. We want to provide a platform and a roadmap for players’ journey from district to international level. Many districts in Maharashtra are coming up with tournaments with the help of Raisoni Foundation,” stated Dr Mrunal Naik, Director Projects, Raisoni Group.
Among those who were present in the conference include — IA P Palaniappan – Deputy Chief Arbiter for the meet, Bhushan Shriwas – Organising Secretary, Amit Gandhare, Director, Public Relations, Raisoni Group; SS Soman, Co-ordinator, Vilas Mhatre, Ninant Pednekar, IA Pravin Thakare.