More than 800 people gathered at Kasbekar Hall on Lakshatirth Road in Kolhapur on 27 September for the Prime Engage Jr. Chess Championship. Of them, 241 were players. The rest were parents, siblings and chess lovers who had come to watch. The turnout, the enthusiasm at the boards and the support from families made it a day the city will remember, and it shows how fast chess is growing among young players.
Families packed into Kasbekar Hall during play.
This was not a mall round. Rows of boards ran the length of a covered hall under an orange canopy, with families seated and standing all around the players.
Category winners and runners-up with their trophies.
The local press noticed. The Marathi daily Pudhari carried the round in its Kolhapur edition on 5 October, with the four category winners named in the headline.
The Pudhari report on the Kolhapur round, Kolhapur edition, 5 October.
Players in Kolhapur 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.
Master Vihaan Mangesh Kamble won Under 8, with Master Saumitra Aniruddha Joshi as runner-up. In Under 10 the champion was Master Avanish Jitkar, with Master Adiraj Dhiraj Doijad second. Master Varad Sayaji Patil took Under 12, with Master Vivan Soni as runner-up, and Master Abhay Namdev Bhosale won Under 16, with Master Tejas Khavat as runner-up. Portronics was our gadget partner, YES Securities our financial literacy partner and Radio City our radio partner.
More city reports from this season: Jabalpur, Kochi, Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Gwalior, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mysuru.
Photos and updates from every city are shared on Instagram at @chess_with_primeengage.
- prime engage junior chess championship
- kolhapur
