City chess player Nutakki Priyanka added one more feather in her cap by winning the Asian youth U-10 blitz championship in Sri Lanka on Monday.
The young student of Mustabada Chess Educational Society won seven points from seven rounds to win the coveted gold in the blitz segment of the Asian Youth Chess championship. Later, Priyanka, along with C. Lakshmi and Kaur Palkin garnered 17 points to win a team gold.
Golden fete
“Altogether Priyanka won six gold medals which is a stupendous show. She won two gold medals in rapid, classic and blitz segments,” said Krishna District Chess Association secretary D. Srihari.
Global Chess Academy chief coach Sk. Khasim felt that Priyanka had the wherewithal to dominate women’s chess in days to come.
Grand Master M.R. Lalith Babu, who is in Europe playing tournaments, felt that Priyanka ‘golden’ fete will activate hectic chess activity in Vijayawada.
Morale booster
Priyanka defeated Chua Jia-tien, Albshayra Leen, C. Lakshmi, Kaur Palkin, Le Tran Phuong Uyen, Oyunsuvd Erdene and Zahedifar Anahita.
“It is heartening to see Priyanka defeating players rated more than her. This will help boost her morale,” said V.R. Bobba her coach, who was the former personal coach of Grand Master Pendyla Harikrishna.
Andhra Pradesh Chess Association president A. Narasimha Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Chess Association secretary K. Kanna Reddy, Krishna District Chess Association president Nageswara Rao and Mustabada Chess Association President B. Ratna Rao congratulated Priyanka for her fete.