The Under 16 title in Lucknow went to a young player with a physical disability. He did not play in a separate section. He sat down in the regular category, played the same rounds as every other child in his age group, and finished as champion. That result also earns him a place in the zonal round later this season, and we are glad he will be there.
Chess does not ask what a player can do with his body, only what he can do with the position in front of him. That is why a result like this one means so much to us. His win stands next to every other title in the Prime Engage Jr. Chess Championship, and it celebrates what the game is meant to reward: talent, patience and the determination to keep going.
Rows of boards under the central atrium of Crown Mall on 13 September.
The round was held at Crown Mall on Ayodhya Road. A red carpet ran down the middle of the mall, with boards on both sides and families around the players. Crown Mall was our venue partner in Lucknow, with Portronics as gadget partner, YES Securities as financial literacy partner and Radio City as radio partner.
Medal winners together at the Lucknow prize ceremony.
Players in Lucknow 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.
Games in progress at Crown Mall.
Master Kunwar Pranav Singh won Under 8, with Ms. Upadhriti Shreeraj as runner-up. In Under 10 the champion was Master Advik Shukla, with Ms. Abhigya Tiwari second. Master Atharv Sahu took Under 12, with Master Advik Sachdeva as runner-up, and Master Daksh Malik won Under 16, with Master Kartik Agarwal as runner-up.
More city reports from this season: Jabalpur, Kochi, Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Gwalior, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Kolhapur, Mysuru.
Photos and updates from every city are shared on Instagram at @chess_with_primeengage.
- prime engage junior chess championship
- lucknow
