Punjab State Chess tourney begins

Our Sports Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 20

All seeded players had a smooth sailing as they recorded victories in their respective matches on the opening day of the 1st FIDE Rated Punjab State Chess Championship (U-19) on the CT University campus here on Saturday.

Bhavesh Mahajan of Amritsar, Anmol Bhagat and Pankaj Arora, both from Jalandhar, Anuj Bansal of Ludhiana and Shobit Dhingra of Patiala scripted wins and were leading with two points each after two rounds.

Total 97 players (36 girls and 61 boys) from the state are participating in this three-day championship being organised by the Ludhiana District Chess Association (LDCA) to provide an opportunity to junior players of Punjab to secure the rating. Top four girls and top four boys will be selected during this championship, who will represent Punjab in the National Junior Chess Tournament slated to be held in the last week of November in New Delhi.

Dr Harsh Sadavarti, Vice-Chancellor, CT University, declared the championship open by making the first move in the presence of head of the sports department Praveen and chief arbiter Varun Kumar. The office-bearers of the LDCA besides Punjab Chess Association were also present.

Arvinder Preet Singh, general secretary, LDCA, thanked the university authorities for granting permission to hold the championship and lodging arrangements for outstation players without charging any fee.

Eight rounds would be played during the championship as per the Swiss League System. Prize money of Rs20,000 will be distributed among four top players in the boys’ and girls’ sections.