The Hindu in School Chess Competition 2017, conducted by The Hindu and the Mysuru District Chess Association (MDCA) at the University Lions Hall auditorium on Saturday saw good participation of schoolchildren from Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Nanjangud and Madikeri.
Around 221 students in the U-9, U-11, U-13, and U-15 sections took part. The tournament was inaugurated by Karnataka’s first grand master M.S. Thejkumar by lighting the lamp and also by moving the chess paws on the occasion. C. Krishna, chief patron, MSCA; Sudharshan, president, MDCA; Shivarame Gowda, honorable secretary, MDCA; and Mathew, Area Sales Manager, The Hindu, were present.
India’s 50th grand master Mr. Thejkumar, lauded the initiative. He also said that he was impressed with the large turnout of schoolchildren and asked parents to encourage them to learn chess as it helped solve problems and develops thinking capacity.
The tournament was played on a Swiss league basis and seven rounds were conducted for both boys and girls in the U-9, U-11, U-13 & U-15 categories.
The chief sponsor of the event is Thyrocare. Arrow Publications was the Knowledge partner, Learners P.U. College, Mysuru, was the regional partner, and Sudha Groundnuts Ltd., the refreshment partner.
M.U. Thejas, with 6.5 points from seven rounds and T.V. Bharani with 5 points from seven rounds, clinched the U-15 boys and girls titles respectively. V.Avinash (6 points - 39.5) and Yashwanth Bharadwaraj (6 points - 36) secured the second and third places in the U-15 boys section respectively. M. Shivanth won the title in the Boys U-13 section with 6.5 points, followed by C. Abhishek (6 points) and Aryan Anand (5.5 points) respectively. In the girls U-15 section, Chandana Prasad with 5 points (31) secured the second place. In the U-11 girls section, Prasiddi Bhat won the title with 6.5 points, followed by Eshanvi M N with 6 points. The prizes were given away by former Karnataka state chess champion Y.G. Vijeendra to the winners in the valedictory function held at the University Lions Hall.
