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Six-year-old girl wins World Schools Championship

May 06, 2018 08:20 pm | Updated 08:20 pm IST

We will groom her to win Grand Master title, says her father

S. Lakshana.

Karaikudi

A six-year-old S. Lakshana, a budding Chess champion and Grade II student of Chettinad Public School, has brought laurels to the State and the country, winning the World Schools Championship 2018 held in Durres, Albania, from April 20-29 in the under 7 category.

The little girl was qualified to represent India in the World Schools Championship after she won a gold medal in the 7th National Schools Chess Championship 2018 held in Odisha in January-February in the under 7 category.

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Making her debut in the world arena, Lakshana made a disappointing start losing to a boy from Maharashtra in the first round but never looked back in the next rounds. She won the next eight rounds, defeating players from at least five countries, including Israel, Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan, C. Subramanian, father of the girl, who accompanied her, said.

“Lakshana is showing tremendous interest and we will groom her to win Grand Master title,” he said adding she had worked for more than 1,000 hours in the last three months to prepare for the world Championship. His elder daughter S. Indira Priyadarshini also took part in the World Championship in the under 9 category and finished eighth, Mr. Subramanian, who is the Assistant Professor in Alagappa Chettiar Government College of Engineering, said.

Both are first generation chess players, he added. Lakshana was coached by S. Athulan, a student of American College, Madurai, and had been training Chess players for the past 25 years and S.A. Kannan.

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M. Pranesh, a student of Sri Vidya Giri Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Puduvayal, in Sivaganga district, was also selected to represent India in the World Championship but he did make it, sources said.

He was qualified after winning gold in the 7th National School Chess Championship 2018 in the under 13 category.

Pranesh father R. Munirathinam was employed as an accountant in a textile shop and mother a teacher in an anganwadi centre. The boy could not take part in the event due to poor family background and could not get sponsorship. The boy, however, took part in the World Youth Championship held in Thailand with State sponsorship.

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