Goa to stage biggest-ever chess event at Zambaulim

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2008-09-10
PANAJI- Goa is set to stage the biggest ever chess event in Goa, with a record number of GMs, IMs, WGMs confirming participation in Monginis 46th National B chess championship to be conducted by Goa State Chess Association on behalf of All India Chess Federation from September 15 - 25 at Shri Damodar Saunsthan, Zambaulim.
“This will be the largest ever championship to be organised in Goa. It will have 9 Grand Masters, 31 International Masters, 3 Women Grand Masters, 2 Women International Masters among the over 400 participants,” stated Mr Sameer Salgaocar, president of Goa State Chess Association and vice-president of All India Chess Federation at a press conference at Don Bosco’s College here on Tuesday.
“This is a great opportunity for Goan players to earn a rating and a chance to rub shoulders with who’s who in Indian chess,” remarked Mr Salgaocar adding that 11 players will earn a qualification for the National A championship which will be held later in December in Mangalore.
Among the GMs confirmed for the championship are Arjuna Awardee Pravin Thipsay who has won the National A championship seven times. Also the star of the show will be undoubtedly world junior silver medallist Parimarjan Negi, representing Indian Airlines who has the unique distinction of being India’s youngest GM at 13 years and 142 days as on July 1, 2006 and is also the world’s second youngest GM ever.
Other players to be watched will be Asian Junior champion GM Deepan Chakkravarty, 26-year-old Neelotpal Das of Petroleum Sports Board who is India’s 14th GM and one of the top contenders for the title.
Among the youngsters is reigning Asian Junior champion International Master P Karthikeyan from Chennai who handsomely won the inaugural edition of IM round robin event in Sri Lanka last month. There will also be three members of the gold medal winning Indian team from the world Under-16 Olympiad in Turkey IMs B Adhiban, P Sethuraman and M Shyam Sundar. Three members of the last year’s Olympiad Under-16 gold medal team - P Shyam Nikhil, IM Ashwin Jayaram, FM S Nitin, Asian junior runner-up WIM Kiran Padmini Rout, Asian junior bronze medallist WIM Kiran Manisha Mohanty and world under-12 bronze medallist Shalmali Gagare will also participate.
Mr Salgaocar disclosed that the event will feature four ex-world champions and the reigning world under-8 girls champion - Goa’s pride and joy Ivana Maria Furtado, Dempo’s Brand Ambassador, who is the youngest Indian world champion in any sport as well as the only back-to-back player winner of world championship. The ex-world champs are WGM Aarthie Ramesh of Indian Airlines, IM Deep Sengupta of Jharkand, Karnataka’s FIDE Master Girish Koushik and CH Sahajashri of AP.
Among the 40-odd Goa participants will be reigning national junior girls champ Woman FIDE Master Bhakti Kulkarni, Brand Ambassador of Monginis, the principal sponsor of the event, world schools under-9 bronze medallist Anirudh Bhat and Asian girls Under-8 fourth placed Riya Sawant.
In all, there will a total of Rs 1,75,000 worth prize money on offer with the winner being entitled for Rs 50,000 and a glittering trophy. The chief arbiter will be K R Seshadri.
Mr Suhas Asnodkar, secretary also spoke.