- Colorful fights in all six groups
- Kashyap Khakharia's winning start
- Hriday Maniyar won both the innings
Chess Championship: Showcasing precise moves on the chessboard, aggressive tactics and determination to win, the ranked youth chess players gave a rousing start to the second phase of the Maharashtra State School Chess Championship. In the first two rounds, many top seeds proved their dominance by registering consecutive victories. However, the under-rated and unrated players have also challenged the veterans and added to the color of the competition.
As many as 387 players have participated in the three-day tournament organized by the Indian Chess School at Rustamji Cambridge International School in Dahisar (West) in open and girls under 9, 13 and 17 age groups.
Ivan Dubey leads the Under 9 category
In the under-nine open category, top seed Adwan Oswal (1724) and first stage under-seven winner Ivan Dubey (1545) led the way with two wins each. Veer Shah, Atharva Mulik, Aarav Deshmukh and Nives Panchal also scored two points. Unseeded Dharvik Parab, Shivansh Bhala, Viren Boricha and Zian Fatnani also put in eye-catching performances.
Lia Krishnan (1558) continued her dominance with two straight wins in the under-9 girls category. Mirai Sardana, Khanak Gada, Lavanya Singh and unseeded Mansi Danu also made it to the top order.
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Kashyap Khakharia's winning start
AIM Kashyap Khakharia (1789) made a winning start in the under-13 open category. Arjun Prabhu, Hrithik Boppa, Mayan Jha and Aaradhya Wagh also maintained their challenge in the lead race.
Top seed Twesha Jain (1697) showed her strength with two wins in the under-13 girls category. Pranitha Bhava, Mahua Deshpande, Ariha Devrukhkar, Nishka Aggarwal and Tisya Pat also took the joint front.
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Hriday Maniyar won both the innings
AIM Hriday Maniyar (1910), the top seed in the under-17 open group, caught the opposition off guard by winning both the innings. Yuvraj Pratap Singh, Soham Sehmate, Ronit Motwani and unseeded Vihan Singh also scored two points.
Top seed Drishya Naik (1713) registered two consecutive victories in the under-seventeen girls category. Iksha Soni, Trisha Jagtap and Saina Nagarkatte also maintained their winning streak.
As this tournament has the importance of national selection, every innings in the upcoming rounds will be decisive. The top two players in each group will get a chance to represent Maharashtra in the National School Chess Championship to be held in Ahmedabad from December 16 to 20.