R City in Ghatkopar West is not a quiet venue. Opened in 2009 and spread over about 1.2 million square feet, it is the largest Grade A mall in the Mumbai region by leasable area, according to its developer, with almost every unit let and the family attraction KidZania under its roof. It is one of the busiest shopping destinations in the city, and a mall like that has a great many things competing for its floor. On 9 August it made room for us: boards laid out across the atrium and 250 young players at the tables.
The atrium from above, boards in rows along the red carpet.
Seen from an upper level, it looked like a chessboard of its own: white-draped tables in neat rows, red carpet between them, and children bent over their games while the mall carried on around them. Every floor had a railing, and every railing had people at it. Parents who had come to wait found themselves watching, and shoppers who had come for something else stayed for a round.
Among the 250 was a player worth singling out. Ms. Girisha Prasanna Pai won Under 10 with exceptional confidence and skill. Having won her own age category, she challenged herself further by entering Under 12, where she faced older and more experienced opponents and finished fifth. It reflected the fearless spirit and determination we hope the championship brings out in its young players, and the potential she has ahead of her.
Rows of players deep in their games along the red carpet.
This was the Mumbai 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. The championship is not a rated event, so a result here does not touch a player’s rating. It is simply a day of real games against unfamiliar opponents.
The trophy table, ready before the first round.
Master Dharvik Anand Parab won Under 8, with Master Ansh Dadhich as runner-up. In Under 10 the champion was Ms. Girisha Prasanna Pai, with Master Aiden Lasrado second. Master Riyansh Sandeep Borate took Under 12, with Master Vivaan Maurya as runner-up, and Master Chinmay Kannan Iyer won Under 16, with Master Rayan Merchant runner-up.
R City hosted us as venue partner. Water Kingdom by EsselWorld, KidZania, Portronics, Too Yumm!, Radio City and YES Securities were among the partners on the championship backdrop. Mumbai is also the city that will host the grand finale, so the players who came to R City in August have a reason to look forward to returning.
More city reports from this season: Jabalpur, Kochi, Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, Pune, 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
- mumbai
