Chess in Goa is enjoying limelight like never before, thanks to the rise of talented players like Bhakti Kulkarni and Ivana Furtado and others who have won accolades for their achievements
The National Level Fide Rating ChessTournament organised by Rudreshwar, Panjim concludes on September 1. Participantsand their parents feel the tournament, which is recognised by AICF and GCA, isan excellent move to spot more talent from within the state.
The tournament is open to players with lessthan 2000 Fide rating points and unrated players of all age groups. However, playershave to submit birth certificate along with entry forms for age group prizes. ArvindMhamal, Secretary – Goa Chess Association says, “The players play nine roundsas per the norms of the federation. The idea is to give the unrated localplayers and players below the 2000 ratings a platform to improve their ratings.As players compete with higher ranked players, their ratings improve with everymatch. The average points are counted and the ratings are given accordingly.”
Praveen Barde from Mapusa is accompanyinghis seven year old son, Om, for the tournament. He says, “When these kids comehere to play, the hidden talent in them is brought to light. Right now, Om isvery young. I don’t know what his interests are but he can grasp skills byplaying with other players.” 13 year old Rahul Naik from Panjim is unrated, yeta passionate chess player. He aspires to follow the game professionally somedayand is glad to gain some experience by playing along with rated players at thetournament. He says, “I am a big fan of Vishwanathan Anand. I wish to representmy country in the sport someday.
The response to the tournament has beengood with 196 players having registered from all states like Maharashtra,Karnataka and Rajasthan. There are 150 local players.
