It was Independence week, and the atrium of Nexus Westend was draped in saffron, white and green for 214 young players.
The Pune round of the Prime Engage Jr. Chess Championship fell in Independence week, and Nexus Westend had dressed for it. Saffron, white and green streamers hung from the roof across the atrium, and under them, long rows of boards ran down the floor. On 8 August, 214 young players sat down to play in that setting.
Boards under the tricolour streamers at Nexus Westend.
Our chief guests were two people who know the game from the inside, one from the coaching side and one from the organising side: Mr. Jayant Gokhale, FIDE Trainer and coach of GM Abhimanyu Puranik, and Mr. Rajendra Konde, Vice President of the Maharashtra Chess Association.
Mr. Rajendra Konde and Mr. Jayant Gokhale at the championship backdrop.
Mr. Gokhale's name is tied to one of Maharashtra's best-known chess stories. He is the coach behind GM Abhimanyu Puranik, who became India's 49th Grandmaster in 2017 and won silver at the 2018 World Junior Championship. Puranik has spoken of Mr. Gokhale as his coach and mentor for many years. For the young players in the hall, it was a chance to meet the coach behind a Grandmaster's journey.
Mr. Konde brought the view from the other side of the game, the people who build the tournaments that young players grow up on. Having the two of them at a junior round told the children that the game has a path and people who look after it. Both stayed on stage for the prize ceremony.
The tournament ran in four categories, Under 8, Under 10, Under 12 and Under 16, and the winner of each goes through to the zonal round. Every player received a medal and a digital certificate, and a prize pool of ₹29,000 was shared among the top five, who all went home with trophies.
Players at their boards, with the championship backdrop behind.
The winners were Master Chiraksh Tarun Garg (Under 8), Master Vihaan Shah (Under 10), Master Kavin Mathiyazhagan (Under 12) and Master Swaraj Shankar (Under 16). The runners-up were Master Avyay A.J., Master Advik Ajay Naval, Master Ishan Arjun P Y and Master Bhuvan Hrishikesh Konnur.
Nexus Westend hosted the day as venue partner, with Portronics, YES Securities, Radio City and Too Yumm! alongside us as partners.
More city reports from this season: Jabalpur, Kochi, Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, 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
- pune
