Ms. Anshika Jain has represented India. On 23 August she sat down at a city round of the Prime Engage Jr. Chess Championship in Gwalior, played the same six rounds as everyone else, won Under 8 and took home the Portronics Rising Star Award.
Ms. Anshika Jain, Portronics Rising Star Champion, Gwalior.
It is worth asking why a player at that level plays a round like this at all. The answer is that a tournament is where a skill is kept sharp. Six rounds in a day, a clock on every board and opponents she has never met ask for the things that practice alone cannot: staying calm after a hard game, resetting before the next pairing, and keeping a clear head for the whole day. Strong players know that being in the right mental shape matters as much as knowing the openings.
Trophies being presented at the Gwalior prize ceremony.
For the 214 players, and the families who filled the hall at Ramakrishna Vidya Mandir, her presence made a quiet point. A player who has played at national level found the championship worth her day, which says something about the platform we are building. A city round can be the first tournament for a child who has only played at home, and it can be a useful stop for a player already well on the way. Both sit side by side at the same boards.
Players with their trophies and medals after the prize distribution.
Players in Gwalior were divided into four age categories, Under 8, Under 10, Under 12 and Under 16, and the winner of each category goes through to the zonal round. Prize money of ₹29,000 for the city was shared among the top five players in each category, and all five received trophies. Every child who played received a medal and a digital certificate. The championship is not a rated event, so results do not affect anyone’s rating.
Our chief guest was Hon’ble Satinder Pannu, Civil Judge, and Mr. Anant Sharma joined as guest of honour. Ms. Anshika Jain won Under 8, with Master Shrijay Gupta as runner-up. In Under 10 the champion was Master Aadvick Mittal, with Ms. Swasti Chauhan second. Master Hardik Sahu took Under 12, with Master Devansh Gupta as runner-up, and Master Om Bhatija won Under 16, with Master Avyav Namdev runner-up.
Young players at the boards with their medals.
Ramakrishna Vidya Mandir CBSE hosted us as venue partner, with the All Gwalior Chess Association as managing partner, YES Securities as financial literacy partner, Portronics as gadget partner and Radio City 91.1 FM as radio partner. Gwalior was the second city of our Central zone, after Jabalpur.
More city reports from this season: Jabalpur, Kochi, Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kolhapur, Mysuru.
Photos and updates from every city are shared on Instagram at @chess_with_primeengage.
- prime engage junior chess championship
- gwalior
