Rows of boards down both sides of a red carpet, and every balcony above filled with people looking down.
Boards in long rows along the red carpet, seen from the balcony.
Most chess tournaments happen in a school hall. On 20 June, ours happened in the atrium of Centre Square Mall on MG Road in Kochi, with the whole building for an audience.
The boards ran the length of the floor on both sides of a long red carpet, each with its own clock, under the lit-up arches of the Playaza game zone. Up on the balconies, shoppers stopped at the railings and stayed, looking down at hundreds of children bent over their boards.
Kochi was the second city of our season, but the first person to trust us was Ms. Subha Rakesh, our chess partner here. Before we had much to show, she believed in the idea of a national junior championship that reaches families outside the big metros. She guided us on how to bring it to Kerala, and she backed us when it was still only a plan.
On 20 June she stood on the red carpet, microphone in hand, and spoke to the players and parents who had filled the atrium. It was a day she had helped make possible. Prime Engage is grateful to her for being the first to say yes.
The atrium during play, with the Playaza arches at the far end.
This was the Kochi round of the Prime Engage Jr. Chess Championship. Players 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.
Our chief guest was Mr. Unnikrishnan BK, Senior Vice President of the Asianet News Network. Among the moments from the welcome was a friendly game on a small ornate board beside the backdrop, which collected a crowd of its own.
Master Reuben Renjith won Under 8, with Master Aazim Afsal as runner-up. In Under 10 the champion was Master Adithya Sreejith, with Master Dhruvik Sandh Unmesh second. Master Eric Sanish took Under 12, with Master Dhruv Krishnan U as runner-up, and Master Rejath Renjith won Under 16, with Master Saket S Shenoy runner-up.
Hands on the pieces.
Centre Square Mall hosted us as venue partner, with Radio City 91.1 FM as radio partner, Portronics as gadget partner and Playaza as gaming partner. Kochi was the first of the championship's two stops in Kerala. Thiruvananthapuram followed in September.
More city reports from this season: Jabalpur, Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Gwalior, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kolhapur, Mysuru.
Photos and updates from every city are shared on Instagram at @chess_with_primeengage.
- prime engage junior chess championship
- kochi
